A Mommy for Papi and Me
by Sweet June Rain
Summary: Two different, yet hurting people, are brought together by a child's simple wish. AU (Yeah, big AU here,) OOCs, OCs, and it's a babe, dur! A different story than what I would usually write yes! Enjoy
1. Chapter 1

New Story Time! I'm about to end the Smut shots, and this is what is taking over: a cute family type story...this is not my forte, I'm not going to lie to ya! Wish me luck! Quick read and a quick write, I might update this every other day...

Rating: M

Warning: Nothing yet

Disclaimer: Not mine, yeah, yeah, yeah...no money, not making any off of this!

On with the show!

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 1

* * *

"Stephanie, I saw Joseph yesterday at the grocery store, he's back in town you know, from L.A., he moved into his late Aunt Rose's house, you know," Helen Plum said, as she passed around the platter roast beef, "He works for the Trenton P.D. and he would love to see you again."

Stephanie let out an inaudible sigh and looked over to her mother saying, "Mom, I don't want to see Joe, I don't have time to date, I have things to do, and a business to run."

Helen crossed herself and looked over to her husband saying, "Frank, say something to your daughter!"

Frank looked up from his meal and looked over to his youngest child. He gave her a look and asked, "Are you happy with what you're doing?"

"Yes," Stephanie said nodding her head and earning a grunt from her father.

"You're not struggling with anything are you?" Franked asked sitting up and looking at Stephanie, "No money problems or anything like that?"

"No, the shop is extremely popular, I'm hiring someone to make a website for the shop so people can shop online," Stephanie said with a smile to her father, earning a head nod.

"Good girl," Frank said with a rare smile, before turning to Helen and saying, "Looks like nothing's wrong with our child, now, can you stop pestering her with Morelli, I don't want any Morelli man around her."

Stephanie smiled and hid it behind her wine glass, as her mother sputtered and then went on a rant.

"She's not getting any younger, Frank! She's turning 31 soon, she doesn't have any children and she divorced her last husband, what is going to do?! Her biological clock is ticking and it's only going to get louder!"

Stephanie shook her head and said, standing up, "Okay, time for me to go, bye Daddy, I'll try to come back down for Sunday dinner next week, I have to go, I have inventory to go through, bye Mom."

"And this silly store, no respectable 'Burg woman would ever been seen running a shop that sells lingerie!" Helen said, as Stephanie left the dining room, "Stephanie Michelle Plum, I'm still talking to you!"

Stephanie closed the front door of her parent's house and sighed, walking over to her car, a cute little red Miata, and climbing in it. She didn't get why her mother seemed to always harp on her about getting a new husband. She had divorced Dickie Orr a year ago; she wasn't ready for another husband. She was running a successful business and enjoyed her independence. Stephanie started her car and ambled down the road, she was going to stop by the liquor store and get her a nice bottle of wine and go home and relax. She ignored the thoughts running in her head about her biological clock ticking. She had a while before she was ready to pop out any babies.

Besides, she needed to find a new and better man first.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Papi!" A child's voice said, and the pitter patter of small feet filled the long hallway, "Papi! Story time, Papi, before I go to bed!"

"Oh, I almost forgot," A man's voice said, as the child came running into a large bedroom, climbing on the big bed that sat in the bedroom, "Well, I'm glad you came to find me and to read to me, Bella."

The child smiled and crawled over to the man that lounge in the bed, with a laptop on his lap. The child cuddled close to the man, and the man wrapped his arm around her small frame and looked down at the child. The child smiled up at him but then pouted and said, "Papi, you packed up all my books, what are we supposed to read now?"

"Well, I'll tell you a story," The man said, closing his laptop up and placing it on the side table that stood beside the bed, "Now, I have a story about a wishing star. You see, Bella, the wishing star comes out every night and can be seen facing east, come on, I'll show you."

The child smiled and wrapped her limbs around her father, letting him carry her to the large bay window of the master bedroom. The man pointed up to the setting sky and said, "See, right there, it's the brightest star out there, that's the wishing star, and if you make a wish on it, it'll come true."

"It will, Papi?" The child asked, her eyes wide with wonder, "Wow! I can wish for anything, right?"

"Yes, Bella," The man said, kissing his child's forehead and hugging her, "Let's make a wish now, together, you need to close your eyes and make a wish inside your heart, don't speak it out loud."

The child nodded her head and closed her eyes, bunching her little toes up and biting her lip. A few seconds later she opened her eyes and said, "'Kay, Papi, I made my wish, can I tell you, but you gotta keep it a secret…"

"Alright, Bella," The man chuckled, before the child leaned in and whispered, "I wished that you woild be my Papi for forever."

"That's a good wish," The man said with a smile, "And I wished that you would be my Bella forever…"

"I like that wish, Papi," The child said, yawning and resting her head on the man's shoulder, "Papi? Why do we have to leave Florida? I wanna stay here and go to school here…"

"Well, I'm opening a new branch up north, in New Jersey," The man said, carrying the child out of the master bedroom, and down the hall to her own bedroom, "And I need to be there, you remember what the name of my company is, right Bella?"

"Mhmm, Rangeman, cause, you were a Ranger in the Army, right?" The child asked, earning a head nod, "Well, as long as you're with me, Papi, I don't care where we go!"

"Okay, now, time for bed, Bella," The man said, leaning and kissing the child on the forehead, "Good night, Bella, I love you."

"Love you too," the child said, before her eyes fluttered shut and she fell fast asleep. The man turn on the side table lamp and turned off the overhead light, before closing the door shut.

The man sat down on the bed and let out a rare sigh, sitting back and picking up his laptop again. Things needed to be done before the big trip tomorrow, he had to set up a time for the movers to come, and he had to book the private jet. The man had called his core team up and found that they had moved into the Rangeman building and were just waiting for him to show up as well, along with his child. They would both be up in New Jersey by tomorrow afternoon. This is what they both needed, him and his child, they needed a change of scenery and a fresh start. He wasn't too worried about the new Rangeman, they had already have several inquiries about their services. Yes, he and his daughter would do just fine up north.

Just fine.

TBC…..

* * *

Like I said, a quick read and a quick write, what do you think? Please, leave a review, thank you! :D P.S. We all know who the man is, but who in the heck is his darling daughter?!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2! Enjoy, thank you for the reviews! Well, I'll post new chapters whenever I want to! New Chapter time!

No warnings right now!

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy!

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 2

* * *

"Oh my god…." Stephanie gasped, walking through the busted open door of her shop, "Oh my god, oh my god….my store…."

Stephanie shook her head and covered her mouth, looking at the wreckage that used to be her store. She had worked a whole year, building it up and now, some jerk or jerks had destroyed it all in a span of a night. Stephanie had gotten a call early in the morning from not only the company that put in her security system but from the local PD as well. The cops told her that someone had broken into her shop, and the security company had told her the same thing as well. She had jumped out of her warm bed and raced over to her little shop, which she had dubbed, "Peek-A-Boo Lingerie," and found it surrounded by the local Trenton Police.

"Hey, Steph," Stephanie turned to see two of her childhood friends, Eddie and Carl, a few of Trenton's finest, standing beside the busted up glass counter.

"Hey, Eddie and Carl," Stephanie said going over to the two and hugging them, "I wish you two were here for a good thing….."

"Yeah, it's a shit thing that happened to your shop, Steph, I know the wife loves coming here all the time," Eddie said, looking around at the mess, "Hopefully this won't take long for you to clean up."

"It shouldn't," Stephanie said with a smile, picking up a pair of lacy white panties from underneath the rubble, "I have insurance, thank god, but, why ransack an undies store? I don't keep money here at night and the valuable pieces are taken at night by me."

"There are some right freaks out there, Steph," Carl said with a shrug, turning as someone new walked into the store, "Oh, here comes the hot shot, Joe Morelli…back from the city of stars…."

Stephanie shook her head as her old childhood crush came through the door. Joe Morelli, yes, Stephanie had a colorful history with him. He fingered her in his father's garage and Stephanie got the neighborhood girls to beat him up. He took her virginity behind the Tasty Pastry counter and she ran him over with Big Blue, a car that could double as a tank. After that, he went off to the Navy, while Stephanie went off to college. They hadn't seen each other in years and now here they were, in Stephanie's ransacked shop. He was handsome, with a head full of thick brown hair and soft brown eyes. He was six feet of muscles and the jeans, t-shirt and 5'oclock shadow he had on his face suited him nicely. When he turned his head and saw Stephanie standing at the counter, he smiled and made his way over to her.

"Stephanie," Joe said with a smile, sizing Stephanie up and down, "It's good to see you again, you're looking good."

Stephanie hardly thought she looked good. She was dressed in a pair of duck Pj's and a pea coat she tossed on over her night shirt. She could bet money that her hair was a wreck as well. She crossed her arms and said, "It's good to see you again Joe, so, what brought you back to Trenton?"

"Well, my Aunt Rose died, and I inherited her house, I was thinking about coming back anyways, so this just spurred me some more," Joe said, shrugging his shoulders and looking around, "Sorry about the wreck, Stephanie."

"Yeah," Stephanie said with a sigh, uncrossing her arms and looking around, "It's going to be a long clean up and fix, but I have insurance, I'm calling them this morning to get this all hashed out."

"Good," Joe said, nodding his head and looking at Stephanie, "So, Stephanie, what are you going to do today?"

Do what now? Stephanie was going to call her insurance company and get then get her broken windows boarded up find someone to clean up this mess! Stephanie crossed her arms again and said, "I'm going to be busy today, sorry, Joe."

Joe sighed and said, "Well, Cupcake, I can call you cupcake, right? I'll give you my number and you can call me, maybe we can get together and catch up on things."

"Yeah…." Stephanie said, putting the business card Joe gave her in her pea coat pocket, "I'm going to go make some calls in the back office, hopefully I can get a cleaning crew out here."

"Well, I'm going to go, see you later, Cupcake," Joe said with a smile, before walking out of Stephanie's shop.

"Oh boy," Stephanie said softly, looking over to the two cops, "I'm going to go to my office and making some calls."

"Alright, Steph," Carl said, nodding his head, "We'll be around for a bit, and if you feel the need for one of us to stay, we'll leave a patrol car out in front of the store."

Stephanie sighed and said, "Thanks, you two, I feel safer right now."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Papi, where's Uncle Lester," The child asked her father , clutching his neck as her father carried her out the airport, "He said he'd be here at 3, it's now 3:21!"

"You're too smart for your own good," The man holding the child chuckled sitting her down on the ground, "Look, here he comes."

A large black SUV rolled up at the entrance of the airport and stopped in front of the father and child. The child bounced beside her father and said, "Uncle Lester!" as a man got out of the driver side of the car, "Uncle Lester!"

"Oh, well look who it is," The man said, walking over to the duo, "It's Ranger and Ranger Jr.!"

Ranger shook his head as his child jumped into Lester's arms, "Santos, you're late."

"Sorry, Ranger, but I got caught in traffic," Lester said hugging the child to him, "Well, Ranger Jr. Let's get you settled in and then I'll take you to your new home."

"My name's not Ranger Jr.!" The child said with a giggle kissing Lester's cheek, "It's Heidi, or Bella!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Heidi," Lester said with a chuckle, placing the child in a booster seat, "No more Ranger Jr."

"Good," Heidi said, nodding her head and leaning back in her seat, "Papi, will we see Uncle Tank and the others?"

"We will," Ranger chuckled, placing the few bags they had in the back of the SUV, "We have to settle in first and then we'll go over to Rangeman to say hi to your other uncles."

"'Kay!" Heidi said kicking her feet and clapping her hands, "I can't wait to play with them all!"

"I know you can't," Ranger chuckled, before he turned to Lester and said, "How's Rangeman coming along?"

"Great," Lester said with a chuckle, "We've several contracts signed and a few more to go, thank goodness you're here, a few clients wanted to have a meeting with you."

"Well, we'll start setting up meetings next week, I need to get into the swing of things," Ranger said, before he turned and looked at Heidi, "Bella, why don't we go out this afternoon, after we spend some time at Rangeman."

"Yes, Papi," Heidi said, smiling at her father, "Why are we going out Papi?"

"Well, we need to get you some school supplies, since you'll be going to pre-school next week, and some new clothes, and some new story books." Ranger said, earning a squeal from his child, "I found a nice school for you, Bella, you'll love it."

"Yeah, and if a boy pushes you in the mud, we'll ship him off to Antarctica," Lester said with a chuckle earning a punch from Ranger and a round of laughter from Heidi.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Damn, white girl," Lula said, shaking her head and helping Stephanie clean up the mess in her shop, "It's a damn shame, I was gonna use my employee discount and buy me a new set, I gotta hot date, this weekend, and I want to look good for my man."

Stephanie sighed looking over to her friend and employee. Lula was a heavy set woman of color whose favorite type of cloth was spandex. She worked part time at Stephanie's shop and owned her own hair salon. She only worked for Stephanie for the employee discount.

"I can treat myself to all the good shit," Lula had said the moment Stephanie had hire her, "You carry some good things, who makes your stuff?"

Stephanie had told Lula that she designed most of it herself, and she got a good deal with the company who made her designs.

"Thank you for coming over, Lula, and helping me out," Stephanie said, sitting down on the only couch that hadn't been destroyed, "You're a lifesaver."

"No problem, you're my friend, I would have helped you out anyways, if you hadn't asked me,"Lula said sitting down beside Stephanie, "Damn looks like you won't expand to online shopping anytime soon…"

"I will, most of the inventory is in the old bomb shelter that's in the basement, thank goodness for the Cold War," Stephanie said with a giggle, "Oh, I can't believe it, who would do this to me? I don't know anyone!"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think, we should get our minds off this here mess, let's go to the mall!" Lula said with a smile, standing up and looking down at Stephanie, "When has the Mall not solved our problems?!"

"I don't know," Stephanie said standing up, "Oh, that's a really good idea, Lula, let's go blow some money at the mall."

"See, that's my girl, shopping always help!" Lula said, watching Stephanie stand up, "Come on, let's go to that new dress store, I saw some dresses in there that would make me look hot."

* * *

So, what do you think? Please leave a review! We now know who the child is! See ya later!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three, enjoy! I'm writing them as fast as I can, guys! Lol

Enjoy yourself!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please leave a review? .w.

* * *

_A Mommy For Papi and Me_

_Chapter 3_

* * *

"Papi, I'm hungry," Heidi said, gripping her father's hand tightly as they used the escalator to go up to the children's clothing store, "Can we get some dinner?

"We will, after we finish clothes shopping," Ranger said, looking down at his child, "We'll be done in a few minutes, Bella, okay?"

"'Kay," Heidi said, leaning against her father's leg, "Can we have Chinese? I want noodles."

"Anything the princess wants," Ranger chuckled, helping Heidi off the moving stairs, "Now, let's go pick out your clothes for school."

Heidi let go of Ranger's hand and ran into the children's clothing store, digging through the dresses and sweaters. Ranger caught up to Heidi and said, "Bella, don't let go of my hand, you could get lost."

Heidi looked up at Ranger and said, "Don't worry, Papi, I won't get lost! Come on, let's pick out lots of dresses for school!"

"And some pants," Ranger said, holding out a pair of khakis, "It's getting colder now, and New Jersey isn't Miami, what season is it, Bella?"

"It's….um….Fall!" Heidi said, hugging her father's leg, smiling up at the man, "But, when it's Fall in Miami, I still go swimming, do I get to go swimming up here?"

"We'll find an indoor pool for you to swim in, you can't swim outside," Ranger said lifting up a cute blue sweater for Heidi, "Do you like this one, Bella?"

"Mhmm," Heidi said with a smile, as Ranger helped her put on the sweater, "Do I look pretty, Papi?"

"Always, Bella," Ranger said, taking the sweater off the child and slinging it over his arms, along with the other clothes he picked out for her, "Come on, you need shirts."

"Okay," Heidi said, walking beside her father but she turned and saw a man walk by with a bunch of balloons, "Oh, Balloons, I want one!"

Heidi smiled and then ran out the store, following the man with the balloons, all the while, Ranger was shifting through racks of t-shirts.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"This is what we really needed," Lula said, sitting down on the bench beside Stephanie,their shopping bags all around them, "I think I done spent 400 bucks in that shoe store! You think my man is gonna love the pumps I got?"

"Please, don't talk to me about men…." Stephanie said with a sigh, rubbing her eyes, "You know that man I told you about, the one that took my virginity behind the counter at the Tasty Pastry?"

"Oh yeah, what was his name again, I kinda ain't good with names," Lula said, tapping her chin and looking over to Stephanie.

"Joe Morelli," Stephanie said, shaking her head at Lula, "He went away but now he's back in town, as a detective, he came by the shop you and hounded me, trying to catch up with me."

"You should have told him that you wasn't interested in any man at the moment," Lula said digging through her shopping bags, "That would have stopped him for a bit."

"Maybe a few days, but it wouldn't really scare him off," Stephanie said with a sigh, as Lula took out a black spandex sequenced mini dress, "Oh, I don't think you could wear any undies underneath this dress Lula, it's best if you like…not put anything on underneath this thing.

It would be better if she didn't put the thing on at all! That poor dress, it was a size 6 and Lula was a size 14. That dress is going to be on its last stich if Lula wore it. Stephanie wasn't going to express that out loud, she loved her life very much, thank you.

"All this here shopping has made me hungry," Lula said to Stephanie, getting up, "Let's go get us some Panda Express from the food court I'm starving!"

Now that was a great idea. Stephanie nodded to Lula and stood up but paused, hearing cries coming from the little alley way between the Yankee Candle shop and an Arcade store front. Stephanie turned to Lula and said, "Hey, I hear someone crying, we should go check it out."

"And get abducted?!" Lula said, her eyes wide with horror, "I don't think so! You can go check it out, I'll scream rape if someone tries to snatch you up."

Stephanie shook her head at Lula and then made her way over to the little mall alley. What she found in the alleyway, pulled at her heart strings. It was a little girl, dressed in a pair of black tights, a black dress with pink flowers on it and a pair of black ballet flats. She had straight long black hair that was in pigtails and soft milk chocolate skin. She was crying her eyes out and holding a pink balloon. She couldn't have been older than 4 maybe 5. The poor thing must be lost and scared.

Stephanie crouched down and then said, in a soft voice, "Hey, sweetie, why are you crying?"

The child stopped crying long enough to whimper, "I'm lost and I don't know where my Papi is! I want my Papi!"

Oh the poor child! Stephanie took out a tissue and said, "Now, there's no need to cry, sweetie, I'll help you find your papi, okay? You're a big girl right?"

"Mhmm," The girl whimpered, wiping at her eyes and looking up at Stephanie with big amber colored eyes, "'M a big girl."

"Good," Stephanie said wiping at the child's eyes and then wiping her running nose before she covered the nose and said, "Now, give me your best elephant trumpet!"

The child giggled and then blew her nose, closing her eyes as she did. Stephanie smiled and said, "Now, that was a loud elephant trumpet! Now, where did you last see your Papi?"

"Um…I don't know, I forgot, and Papi always tells me to be aware of my surroundings, the enemy is everywhere!" The girl said, her voice serious, "Except I saw the balloons and I wanted one! And the man gave me one and he was nice and everything!"

"Well, I'm glad you're not with the man with the balloons, at least," Stephanie said, holding her hand out, "The name is Stephanie Plum."

"Heidi Manoso," The child said, grabbing Stephanie's hand, "There, you're not a stranger no more! Stephanie, you're real nice and smell like flowers too, I like flowers!"

"Well, glad to know I smell good, I don't want to smell like a horse's bottom," Stephanie said, earning a giggle from the girl, "Come on Heidi, let's get out this place, okay?"

"Kay," Heidi said, grabbing Stephanie's hand, "Miss. Stephanie, I'm hungry, I hope we find Papi soon, he promised me Chinese Noodles."

"Oh, well, you're in luck, we're off to the food court, let's get some dinner so that little tummy of yours doesn't rumble as we look for you Papi," Stephanie said, picking Heidi up in his arms, "You're going to hang out with two women who love to eat Chinese food."

Stephanie walked out the alley and over to Lula, who gave Stephanie a look and said, "I thought you was gonna get abducted not adopt some child! Almost gave me a heart attack, woman!"

"She's lost, after we eat dinner, we're going to look for her father," Stephanie said, looking over to Heidi who nodded her head and wrapped her arms around Stephanie's neck, "Plus, she's a real sweetie pie too, aren't you, Heidi?"

"Mhmm, I'm Papi's Bella, that's Spanish for beautiful," Heidi said looking over to Lula who smiled and shook her head.

"At least she ain't screaming and hollering," Lula said, picking up the bags and walking over to the escalators, "Come on, I could go for an egg roll and some Kung Pao Chicken!"

"Mmm, Chinese noodles!" Heidi said, resting her head on Stephanie's shoulder, "Thank you for dinner, Miss. Stephanie and Miss. Stephanie's friend."

"Uh oh, we have a polite child, we might have to keep her," Lula said with a chuckle as they made their way to the food court, "She could lure men."

"My Uncle Lester says that I'm a woman magnet, and that I attract pretty ladies, pretty ladies like Miss. Stephanie," Heidi said, making Stephanie blush.

"Oh goodness," Stephanie said as they made their way to the Panda Express, "Now, Heidi do want anything else with you noodles?"

"Mhmm, I want chicken and shrimp and….an egg roll and a root beer, Papi doesn't let me have root beer much, he says it'll rot my teeth, but I still have my teeth!" Heidi said as Stephanie put her down so that Stephanie could place their order.

"Oh, well, the root beer will be our little secret then," Stephanie said, with a wink, placing their order, "Alright, now, let's go find a spot to sit down and eat, maybe your Papi will spot you as we're eating."

"Mkay!" Heidi said, walking with Stephanie over to the table that Lula sat at, "That's a lot of food, Miss. Stephanie's friend, are you gonna eat it all by yourself?!"

"Darn skippy," Lula said as Stephanie situated Heidi in the booth and gave the child her food, "I'm a big girl I need lots of food."

"I'm a growing girl, so I needs lots of food too!" Heidi said, digging into her noodles, "Right, Miss. Stephanie's friend?"

"My name is Lula, and you're darn right you need lots of food, you're a growing girl!" Lula said, making Heidi beam as she chewed on a shrimp, "I like this one, Stephanie, we should keep her."

Stephanie smiled down at Heidi and said, "I can bet anything in the world that her Papi is searching for her right now."

The group was finishing their meals when Heidi turned her head to the side, close by the bathrooms and then she was out of the booth, crawling over Stephanie and screaming, "PAPI! PAPI!"

Stephanie turned her head, as did Lula and she watched as Heidi ran into the arms of-

"Sweet tea and lemonade," Lula said, fanning herself, "Now that is a fine Papi indeed."

Stephanie had to agree with Lula. Heidi's father a six foot tall Latino man, with black hair that was tied in a ponytail at the nape of his neck and warm brown chocolate eyes that were trained on Heidi's tiny frame. He had skin the color of Mocha Latte and damn, Papi was fit. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt. The moment Heidi was in his arms, he was fussing over her, kissing her cheeks and forehead and rubbing her back, all the while Heidi buried her head in his neck, clinging to him like a star fish. Now, if that wasn't an adorable sight.

Stephanie watched Heidi lift her head up and then point to her and Lula. The man looked over to where the two women sat and then was making his way over to them. Lula took a sip out of her drink as the man stopped in front of their table and Heidi said, from her perch, "See, Papi, this is Miss. Stephanie and Miss. Lula. Miss Stephanie found me and I ate lots of food with Miss. Lula, I also thanked them for giving me dinner."

"Is that right?" The man said with a chuckle, running his hands over Heidi's back, "Well, ladies, thank you very much for taking care of my Bella, I hope she wasn't any trouble."

"No, she wasn't, she's a real sweet child," Stephanie said with a smile trained at Heidi, who smiled back at her, "Next time, Heidi, don't go wandering away, okay?"

"Kay," Heidi said, with a shy smile before yawning loudly, and rubbing her eyes.

"Looks like someone is tired," Heidi's father said, before gave the two women a smile and said, "Thank you, again, I was about to turn this place upside down looking for my Bella. Is there anyway I can repay you?"

"Oh, no need," Stephanie said with a smile, looking at the two, "Heidi's company is enough, now you stay close to your Papi, alright?"

"Kay, bye Miss. Stephanie and Lula," Heidi said as her father turned and carried her away from the booth.

Lula and Stephanie stared at one another before fanning themselves. Lula swoon and said, "And his kid is cute?! Why ain't he married?!"

"He has to be married, Lula," Stephanie said to Lula, earning a head shake, "He's not?! How can you tell?"

"He ain't got no ring on that finger, that man is a single parent, I wonder who would be dumb enough to let that one go?" Lula asked, looking over to Stephanie who shrugged and began to clean up the mess on the table.

"Doesn't really matter, right, we won't be seeing him again," Stephanie said with a chuckle, earning a head shake from Lula.

"I wish we was," The woman said, fanning herself again, "That's one hot Papi…"

Stephanie nodded her head and said, "He sure is…"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Ranger let out a sigh, hugging Heidi tightly to his body again. When he had turned in the store and found that Heidi was not beside him, he nearly had a heart attack. He had scoured up and down the mall and hadn't found her. When she screamed his name and came running to him, it felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He held her tight and fussed, in public, over her. She was healthy and all smiles, with soy sauce on her cheek. She had pointed to two women, sitting in a booth and told him that they had found her and took her to Panda Express for dinner. Ranger had gone over to the women and thanked them before leaving. Heidi was nodding off on him and he wanted her tucked in bed before she fell asleep. He would have stayed longer to talk to them, but Heidi was his main priority and right now, she needed to bathe and changed into her sleepwear.

"You never run off again, Bella," Ranger said, helping Heidi take off her clothes so she could get in the bath, "You had me scared for a moment."

"A solider never shows fear," Heidi said, looking up at Ranger, her voice serious, "That's what you learn in the army."

"Right," Ranger said, as Heidi jumped in the tub, "But, right now, I'm not in the Army, I'm at home, with my daughter, washing her hair."

"Oh, so you're a Ranger and my Papi," Heidi hummed, playing with the bubbles in her bathwater, "I like both…Papi….why don't I have a mommy as well?"

Ranger blinked looking down at Heidi, she had never asked that question before. She had never questioned the fact that it was only the two of them. What was he to say to her?

"Well, Bella, there's only one woman in my life, and that's you," Ranger said softly, earning a soft giggle from Heidi as he washed her hair, "That's all I need."

"Aren't you lonely without my mommy?" Heidi asked, looking up at Ranger.

"No, I have you, I'm never lonely ,not with you being with me," Ranger said, making Heidi smile brightly at him, "I have my Bella and you're the only woman I need."

"Miss Stephanie would make a good mommy, she carried me and made me smile, she would make a good mommy," Heidi said making Ranger chuckle.

The woman with the blue eyes and curly brown hair, Miss Stephanie, the woman that found his child. She was pretty, and she seemed to adore Heidi. Not many people would have done what Miss. Stephanie had done. Plus, she had made a friend out of Heidi.

"Miss Stephanie might make a good mommy one day," Ranger said, grabbing a fluffy towel to wrap Heidi in it, "But, I don't think she wants to be a mommy now, come on, let's get you ready for bed."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

As soon as her Papi tucked her into bed , turned her night light on and closed the door to her new room, Heidi was sliding out her big girl bed and making her way over to the big window in her room. She lifted her head up and scanned the sky, smiling when she found the biggest star. Heidi frowned and said, "I don't need to close my eyes this time, right? Well, Mister. Star, I have a wish, a big wish. You see, Mister Star, I want a mommy. I have Papi and I love him very much, but I want a mommy. I want a mommy who doesn't tuck me in too tightly, like Papi, I want a mommy who can make me yummy food, who can play with me all the time and I want a mommy who smells like flowers and will love me forever and ever. Oh, I want a mommy who will love Papi forever too, cause, like Uncle Lester says; Papi and me come in a package deal! Please, Mister Star, I want a mommy for Papi and me."

Heidi ran back to her bed and dived underneath the blankets, closing her eyes to sleep. That's all she wanted for her and Papi, a new mommy, hopefully Mister Star can give her one.

TBC….

* * *

Well, how was that? Please, review and tell me. Thank you for all the reviews, I'm a sucker for reviews. The more I get, the more I write..._hint hint_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4! Enjoy! Thank you for the reviews!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 4

* * *

"You should invest in a new security system, Pumpkin," Frank said to Stephanie, as he walked into Stephanie's shop, "You need to get some top notch security for this place."

Stephanie let out a sound and said, "You think I should, Daddy?" looking around in her store, "I have one of the high end systems now."

"It might be high end for the company you're with now," Frank said, placing the box of Pino's on the newly replaced counter and looking around, "I don't want your premiums going up, because someone has a grudge against underwear, you should look around for some new security."

"I will, Daddy," Stephanie said, carrying a stool over to the counter, "Now, let's not worry about security systems and enjoy some pizza, so how are things at Casa La Plum?"

Frank chuckled and said, "Interesting, Pumpkin," opening the box and pulling out a slice of pizza, "Your sister is back from California."

"Valarie?" Stephanie asked, looking surprised, "But…why?"

"That dick of a husband was out playing hide the salami with the babysitter that watched over Angie and Mary Alice," Frank said in an angry voice, "I'm glad she's back, but Helen, she's filling that girl's head with the wrong information."

Oh goodness, now that Stephanie's perfect sister, Valarie was back, Helen now could turn her head away from Stephanie's missing husband and family and over to Valarie's separation. Though, this could be bad, for Val. Though Stephanie had been compared to Val all her life and was told to act like her saint of a sister, Stephanie wasn't going to let Valarie be berated by their mother and put be put down like she had been.

"Maybe the Val and the girls can live with me, I'm in the suburbs of Trenton, my townhouse has four bedrooms, it'll fit Valarie and the two girls just fine," Stephanie said with shrug, eating her pizza, "They can live there and I'll see if Val will talk to my attorney about her lousy husband and she'll be away from the 'Burg as well."

Frank let out a sigh, mockingly wiping his forehead, "I'll tell Valarie that you offered to housed her for the time being. I'm not going to lie to you, Pumpkin, a houseful of women is not what I need, your mother and your grandmother is enough for me."

Stephanie laughed at her father and said, "Well, at least I can help you out, Daddy, call me, if she says yes and I'll swing by and help her pack up and move out."

"You're a good kid, Pumpkin," Frank said, leaning forward and kissing Stephanie on her cheek, "Don't listen to what your mother tells you, it's all lies, if you're happy right now, then it doesn't really matter if you don't want a husband and children. Not everyone gets joy out of a family."

"I might want a family," Stephanie said shrugging her shoulders and looking over to her father, "I mean, I might, I don't know, it's just, I've a business to run and-"

"Don't worry about it," Frank said with a chuckle, looking at his child, "Don't validate your life, Pumpkin, live it, don't give anyone an excuse, it's not their life you're living, it's your life. I should have been in our lives a bit more, when you were children, but, your mother…"

Stephanie smiled and said, "You're here now, and that's all that matter right now, now, let's not get so emotional and finish this pizza, I have Lula coming over at one today, to help plan the re-opening party."

"Oh, let me finish this quickly then," Frank said with a chuckle, "Your friend is something else."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Papi…I don't wanna go to school!" Heidi cried gripping her father's neck as he walked up the stairs to the little school, "Please Papi, I wanna stay at home with you!"

"Bella," Ranger said opening the door to the school and entering it, "It's good for you to meet children your age and plus, you'll make lots of new friends."

"No I don't wanna, I just wanna be with you! I don't need anybody else!" Heidi cried in Ranger's shoulder, "Please, Papi!"

Ranger paused in front of the door to Heidi's class and rubbed her back, murmuring Spanish in her ear. Ranger wanted Heidi to have an enriched education so he enrolled her in a small international school that was based on the outskirts of Trenton. The school was highly exclusive, but Rangeman did the security here and so Heidi was able to go here with no problems. Heidi would have a good time here. He just had to get her off him.

"Oh, Bella," Ranger said with a rare sigh and then he said, "Bella, it's only for a few hours, and afterwards, I'll come and get you, and we'll go out for frozen yogurt."

"Ice cream…" Heidi said lifting her head up and looking at Ranger, who shook his head, "Please?"

"You can get toppings for your yogurt," Ranger said, making Heidi smile and nod her head, "Alright now, let's go inside and meet your new classmates."

Heidi's class was extremely tiny, only five students, including Heidi herself. Her teacher was a kind man who told Ranger he could stay with Heidi for as long as he thought he needed to be with her. The children were nice to Heidi and the lessons were creative and enriching. Though there was one little punk, in Ranger's opinion, that Ranger would watch out for. The little blond haired blue eye boy zeroed in on Heidi and was extra friendly with his little girl. Too friendly, in Ranger's opinion.

With Heidi busy with learning a few words in 10 different languages, Ranger felt confident enough to leave Heidi by herself at the tiny school. He had several meetings to go through and then he had an afternoon to spend with Heidi.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Huh, a new security system," Lula said, looking up from the display rack she was putting together, "You know, what? I know someone in the security business, they could help you out."

"Oh," Stephanie said, looking over to Lula, who nodded her head and leaned back on her hands, "Well, who is it?"

"Well, the man I'm seeing, his name is Tank, well, that's not his real name, of course, but, he's the co-owner of a security firm that does security like ADT and those kind of companies," Lula said with a shrug, "He can hook you up, Steph, I can call him now, if you want."

"Maybe tomorrow," Stephanie said, looking up from the shipping order she was creating, "We still have a re-opening party to handle and Daddy called, Valarie said that she would live with me in my townhouse with the girls."

"Oh, you're gonna have your hands full with your sister," Lula singsong, putting the last screw in the display rack, "I can't believe her man cheated on her, I thought she was perfect, guess she wasn't that perfect."

"I don't want to know why her husband cheated on her," Stephanie said writing down numbers, "I have to deal with an emotional sister and her daughters, I don't know what to do, Val doesn't have a job and the girls need to be in school, I don't think a 'Burg school would be good for them, maybe a school nearby my house, they have a nice school close by, I know the girls will love that."

"Damn skippy," Lula said with a smile, getting up and placing the display rack in its rightful place, "I think so too, remember when I came to dinner with you?"

How could Stephanie forget? The neighbors had called the cops because they thought that Lula was a gang member.

"Yeah, so after we're done here, I'm going over to my parent's house," Stephanie said, closing her inventory book, "And I'm going to help Val pack up her and the girls."

"Say, maybe you can get Val a job here, at the shop," Lula said with a smile, "It's just me and you, and you've been complaining about needing some more help in the office too."

"Hmm, you're right, Lula," Stephanie said, but then she giggled and said, "Can you imagine, my perfect sister, putting panties on a plastic torso?"

"Shit, I can't!" Lula said, before the two giggled loudly, rolling on the ground in the shop, "Are you gonna train her, or am I?"

"No, I'll train her," Stephanie said with a smile, sitting up from the floor, "If anyone gets the migraine, it's going to be me."

"Well, I'll call my man tonight, and get him to squeeze you in for a meeting with him and the other co-owner of the security company. His partner just came up from Florida last week, and he's the one you want to get to know, maybe he'll give you a good deal."

"That would be nice," Stephanie said, looking out the new store front window, "Come on now, Lula, we need to put up more racks and mannequins, I have stuff being delivered on Thursday, I want the shop up and running again by Saturday morning."

"Yes Ma'am!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Papi!" Heidi shouted, running up to Ranger and jumping in his arms, "Papi! I love school, when can I come again?!"

"Tomorrow, Bella," Ranger said hugging Heidi to him, and carrying her to the black Cayenne, "Now, what did you learn today?"

"I learned about shapes, and I learned how to count to 10 in Spanish, and Chinese and Russian, because one of my friends, Thaddeus, is from Russia. He's very nice and he even gave me his snack, because he got an extra yogurt cup and I told him that like peach yogurt a lot."

"Oh…" Ranger said strapping Heidi in, earning a nod, "Well, Bella, can you tell me all about Thaddeus's looks?"

"He's the only Russian in class, and uh…he has blue eyes and blond hair, and he plays with me outside and he pushes me in the swing," Heidi said as Ranger climbed into the car.

Oh, it was that punk, the one who was too nice to Heidi, in Ranger's opinion. Ranger started the Cayenne and pulled off the curb of the street, heading for the yogurt shop that was in a tiny shopping center close by their neighborhood.

"Oh, he sounds like a nice boy," Ranger said pulling up to the shop, "Heidi you would tell me if he ever tries to hold your hand, right?"

"Yes, Papi," Heidi said sweetly, as Ranger parked the car, "But, why would he want to hold my hand?"

"Because, that's what little boys want to do with people they like, don't let him hold your hand," Ranger said, unstrapping Heidi and carrying her to the shop, "Now, what kind of frozen yogurt do you want?"

"Chocolate and uh…strawberry, please," Heidi said, sliding out her father's arms and running up to the counter, "And I want cookies, and I want gummy bears and sprinkles and whipped cream and these little pink and blue chewy things."

"You're going to get a tummy ache," Ranger said, putting the requested items on Heidi's yogurt, "Are you going to eat all of this?"

"Mhmm!" Heidi said, running over to a couch and sitting on it, "Sit here,Papi," patting a spot beside her , "I wanna tell you all about school."

Ranger let Heidi chatter in his ear, talking about school and what she learned and how much she liked it. He frowned when she got quiet, looking out the window of the store, "Bella? What's wrong, Bella?"

"A solider never tells their secret to the enemy, sir!" Heidi said, in her serious voice, turning to Ranger, a smile on her face.

"Oh, well, I'm not the enemy, I'm your Papi," Ranger said, earning a look of confusion from Heidi.

"Well then: a solider never tells their secret to their Papi, sir!" Heidi said her voice serious, earning a chuckle from Ranger.

"Okay," Ranger said, looking down at Heidi's empty bowl, "Now, let's get going, we'll go to Rangeman and see your uncles."

Heidi nodded her head and then she let Ranger wipe her mouth clean with a moist paper towel and then her hands received the same treatment. Then the duo was off to Rangeman so Ranger could finish going through contracts and Heidi could go and see her favorite uncles. As they were making their way into Trenton, Heidi thought about the woman she saw outside the yogurt shop. She had been with her child and she had stopped to help the child tie their shoes. She wanted a mommy to help her tie her shoes, her Papi always tied them too tight. She hoped Mister Star was working on her wish, she wanted a mommy real bad!

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie let out a sound in her throat, looking up at her parent's duplex. Everyone was going to be there tonight. Stephanie guessed that once her father asked Val if she wanted to move in with Stephanie, her mother had flipped bricks. She could bet money that she would be in for a serious talking the moment she stepped foot in that house. Oh boy….

Stephanie frowned, looking at the blue Ducati that was parked in the driveway of her parent's house, now who in the hell was that? She wasn't trying to channel her inner 'Burg or anything but, they didn't know anyone with a blue Ducati…who was it, and why were they are her parent's place?

Stephanie parked her car of the side of the street and began to make her way up the stairs to her parent's door. She was about to open the door, but the door swung open itself and out came Joe Morelli smiling at her.

"Hello Cupcake, it's been a long week."

And it was going to be a longer week again. Not the person she wanted to see, ever…

TBC…

* * *

Well, what do you think? Is it really going to be a long night for Stephanie? Who knows! Please leave a review, you know, they tend to make me write faster. Hint...sorry about the delay, I took some allergy medicine and I went right to sleep!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5, enjoy!

Warning: A little sadness at the end of the chapter, had me choking up a bit

Disclaimer in chapter 1!

Please Review? owo

* * *

_A Mommy For Papi and Me_

_Chapter 5_

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Stephanie asked, sweeping past Joe and entering her parent's house, "Don't you have police work to do?"

"Nope, finished it all," Joe said, with a shrug, looking over to Stephanie a smile on his face, "I was about to go have dinner with my mother and grandmother but, your mom called and invited me over."

"Well, hate to bust your bubble," Stephanie said looking into the living room, "I'm not staying for dinner, I'm here to help Val and the girls pack and then take them with me to my house."

"Stephanie Michelle Plum," Stephanie winced as her mother came walking into the little foyer of the house, "You can stay for dinner, it's pork chops and mashed potatoes tonight."

"I really have some things to do," Stephanie started but her mother gave her a look and she caved, "Alright, but I can't stay for any longer, I want to get Val and the girls settled in my place."

Helen gave Stephanie another one of her pointed looks and then walked back into the kitchen. Stephanie shook her head and mumbled, "I just want to be in and out," going into the living room, Joe trailing behind her.

Inside the living room, Frank was speaking to Valarie, while two little girls sat in front of a TV, watching cartoons. Stephanie's sister was the perfect 'Burg woman. She was two years older than Stephanie and the perfect housewife. She had married some hot shot attorney and moved away to California, dyed her hair blond and lived in an exclusive private community. Used to, should have been the word, now here she was, in her parent's house, with two children, living out of a suitcase. No matter how many times Stephanie had been compared to her Saint of a sister, she wasn't about to let Valarie go through this alone.

"Val," Stephanie said, making both Frank and Valarie look up, "Hey, it's been a bit."

"Hey, Steph," Valarie said, giving her sister a small smile, "Thanks for letting us stay with you, I know it would have been a lot on mom and dad if I stayed with them, until I got back on my feet."

"NO problem, my house has plenty of space, once we're done with dinner, we can go right to my house," Stephanie said with a smile but she frowned and said, "Oh, my Miata won't hold all your things."

"I can help, Cupcake," Joe said with a smile, earning a growl from Frank, "You know, all you have to do is ask."

"Now, look here, boy," Frank said, standing up and sizing Joe, "This is a family thing, we don't need any more people in it, especially someone from the Morelli family."

Frank turned to Stephanie and Val and said, "After dinner, I'll help you and girls move, alright?"

"Thank you Daddy," Val said before she turned to the girls and said, "Mary Alice, Angie, come on, time to wash up for dinner."

The two girls got up from the floor and walked into the bathroom. Stephanie noticed that they were quiet and sullen, as if picking up vibes from their mother. It was hard on them as well. Oh yeah, it would best if they were away from the 'Burg's influence.

"I called my Attorney," Stephanie said softly to Val, "Maybe she can be of some help for you, she helped me when I divorced Dickie, she made sure that I wasn't shafted by him, she'll help you out as well."

"Thanks, Steph, I haven't really thought about that," Valarie said softly, looking down at the floor, "Well, we should be going to eat some dinner, you know how mother can get."

Oh yeah, they all knew. Stephanie turned to her father and asked, "Where's Grandma Mazur?"

"Oh, at a wake," Frank said shaking her head, "Hey, she's out of my hair, and that's all that matters."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"So, Cupcake," Joe said, sipping his wine, "How are things down at your shop? It's looking better every day, I might have to go down there when it opens again."

Helen crossed herself and said, "Stephanie, please, tell me you're not opening that store again, Stephanie Michelle Plum, why can't you get a respectable job, like one at the button factory?"

"Because, my store is making money and plus, it's extremely popular," Stephanie said, cutting into her pork chop, "In fact, I was speaking to Lula the other day, I'm expanding into Plus size lingerie, you know what Lula says, big girls love feeling sexy too."

Frank shook his head and said, "Your friend is something else, but that sounds like a good business idea, Pumpkin."

"Thanks, Daddy," Stephanie said with a smile, which melted as soon as her mother opened her mouth.

"That woman, the same woman you bought over here for dinner one night?" Helen asked, crossing herself again, "I was so embarrassed, when the cops came knocking on our door!"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and sighed, "Yes, Mother, we heard this all before, I know…"

"Well, at least I have one daughter who is trying to make things right," Helen said, turning to Valarie, "You don't need to go live with Stephanie, Valarie, you can stay here with your father, grandmother and me, we can talk about you getting back with Steve."

"I'm not getting back together with him, Mother," Valarie said, giving Helen a look, "I tried your advice before, when I noticed that Steve seemed to be interested in the babysitter, look what happened; he ran off with her anyways, taking all the money with him and abandoning me and the girls!"

"Oh," Stephanie said, looking over to Valarie, "We'll set up an emergency meeting with my attorney tomorrow, I didn't know he abandoned you and the girls!"

"I didn't know either," Frank said, looking over to Helen, "And you knew long before this what this bastard was doing to my child?! What did you tell her, Helen, please, humor us."

"I want to know too," Joe said, but Frank was having none of it. The man stood up and pointed to the door saying, "Now, you get out, Morelli, this is a family issue, and you're not family! Get out now!"

Helen and Joe sputtered but Joe got up and said, "Well, I'll see you later, Cupcake, maybe at your place or at the shop…"

"Please, don't bother showing up," Stephanie said as Joe left the house, "I can't believe you invited him over! I don't want to date him, Mother! I don't want to date at all!"

"You need to find a husband, Stephanie, I can't believe you, 31 and no husband!" Helen sighed, shaking her head, "Why me?! Diana Whatsky's daughter has a husband, three children is a teacher, my child sells undies! No respectable woman would ever do that!"

Stephanie shook her head, ignoring her mother's rant and said to Valarie, "We'll meet with my lawyer in the morning, she'll take care of you."

"Thanks, Stephanie, how can I ever pay you back? I don't have a job or anything, just a 50 dollars." Valarie sighed, looking at her sister, who smiled and shook her head.

"No price, we're sisters," Stephanie said, shrugging her shoulders, "Besides, I was thinking, maybe you can work with me in my shop, I could use another person, since Lula's only part time."

Valarie shrugged her shoulders and said, "Thanks, that sounds better than the button factory, or the tampon factory, I'll take the job."

Frank nodded his head and said, "That sounds like a great idea, now, are we all done with dinner, we can have you all settled in Stephanie's house before bedime."

"Now what is wrong with working at the Tampon Factory, or at the Button Factory, respectable jobs, I say, not selling bras and panties that barely cover anything!" Helen said sharply glaring at Stephanie, "She'll get a job at one of those places."

"Or she can make her own decisions, and choose what Stephanie has offered her," Valarie said turning to the children and saying, "Go upstairs and pack, we're moving in with Aunt Stephanie."

The girls did what they were told and Valarie got up saying to Stephanie, "Thanks, we'll be all packed in 20 minutes."

Helen shook her head and said, "What went wrong with you, Stephanie," before she got up to go to the kitchen to get her 'medicine,' which meant a shot of turkey whiskey.

"Oh yes," Stephanie said, looking over to her father, "I think the girls would be better outside of the 'Burg."

"They will be, Pumpkin, they'll be with you." Frank said getting up from the table, "You're a good kid."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Uncle Tank! That's not a ladder, that's a chute, you have to slide all the way down now!" Heidi said with a giggle, patting Tank's bald head, "You better watch out for Uncle Bobby, he's been cheating."

"No I haven't!" Bobby said smiling at Heidi, "It was Uncle Lester!"

Lester pouted, glaring at Bobby, before he said, "I haven't been cheating, I've been playing fair!"

"Oh yeah, you got a six and you moved up seven spaces," Bobby said, making Lester sputter, "Cheater!"

"You all are too loud, how am I supposed to get work done around here?" Ranger asked, walking into the empty conference room, where Heidi and her uncles sat, "Santos, Brown, don't you have work to do?"

"We finished it," Lester said, looking over to Ranger, sipping from a juice box, "Now, we're playing with our favorite niece."

Ranger shook his head and said, "Heidi, Bella, you're turning your uncles soft."

"No I'm not, Papi!" Heidi said sliding out her chair and running over to her father, hugging her, "Papi! Come join us!"

"In a bit, I'm almost done with work, then we'll play, and I'll take you home, have your uncles fed you dinner?" Ranger asked, running a large hand over Heidi's

"Mhmm, Uncle Lester got Tia Ella to make us 'sgetti," Heidi said, gripping her father's legs, "Hurry with work, Papi, I wanna play with you too!"

Heidi hugged him once last time, before running back to the game with his men. Rangeman employed the best of the best in the military. They were harden soldiers and mercenaries that scare people off with looks. They were perfect for his business, which was why Ranger hired them. This all doesn't mean a thing when a 4 year old child is thrown in the mix. The moment all the men saw Heidi, their harden outside shells cracked and crumbled into a million tiny pieces. Heidi was not only good for Ranger, she was good for his men too. She made them feel worthwhile, she made them smile and live again. She was the light in their dark world and Heidi didn't even know it, all she knew was that they were her kind and loving uncles.

"I won!" Lester boomed, looking down at the board game, "I am the King of Chutes and Ladder!"

"Uncle Lester, it doesn't count, you cheated," Heidi said looking up at Lester, and then saying, in a serious voice, "A soldier never takes the easy way out by cheating."

"Darn it," Lester said, sitting back down and pouting, "I only cheated once, and you're believing Bobby over me?"

"Mhmm," Heidi said nodding her head, before she leaned over and patted Lester's cheek, "It's okay, I still love you."

"And that's all that matters," Lester said, grabbing Heidi and hugging her, "You wanna play CandyLand now?"

"Yes!" Heidi said, as Lester took out the other game, "Let's play, let's play!"

Ranger shook his head and made his way back to the office. Just as he did, Tank came walking in, on the phone, having a conversation with someone on the other end.

"Yes, Mhmm, well then, I'll squeeze her in for a meeting tomorrow afternoon, if you're that worried for her," Tank said to the person on the other line, Okay, I love you too….sugarbear."

Ranger's eyebrow rose and he looked at Tank, who looked a bit flustered. Tank shrugged his shoulders and said, "What? It was my new girl, she likes little cute names."

Ranger shook his head and asked, "Oh, are you here to tell me that?"

"No," Tank said sitting down in front of Ranger's deck, "My girl's friend is in need of a new security company, her store got ransacked and she needs a better security company looking out for her. My girl wants to know if you would talk to her tomorrow afternoon."

Ranger nodded his head and said, "I can, but I need to be out of here by five, Heidi and I have swimming lessons down at the swimming school."

Tank shook his head and said, "I can't believe it, Ranger, you're a father and you're speaking like a parent."

"Sometimes," Ranger said with a smile, looking over to Tank, "I can't believe it either, you would have never seen me changing diapers and wiping throw up from my shirt 8 years ago."

"Yeah, but that was before you…" Tank said, but stopped at the look Ranger gave him, "I know, it's still a hard topic to talk about, man, I understand."

"Thanks, but I can't dwell on that, I have a daughter who needs me and a business to run," Ranger said, his chest tightening up, "Alright, I have paperwork to deal with, Tank, I'll be out there in a few minutes."

Tank got up and left Ranger's office, leaving the man to dwell on thoughts he didn't want in his head.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"That was a good story," Heidi yawned, snuggling into the soft covers on her bed, "Papi, you read me good stories."

"Thank you, Bella," Ranger said, pulling the covers up around Heidi's small frame, "Now, it's time for bed, sweet dreams, Bella."

Heidi smiled as her father kissed her on her forehead and ran a hand over her cheek. She looked up into chocolate brown eyes and asked, "Papi, did I have a mommy?"

Ranger nodded his head and said, "Yes, Bella, you did have a mommy."

Heidi turned on her side and asked, "Where is she now Papi? Did she leave us? Why did she leave us?"

"Mommy is…mommy is in a place where we can't go," Ranger said softly, squeezing one of Heidi's tiny hand softly, "I didn't want mommy to go away and mommy didn't want to go away either, it just happened."

"Oh, is that why you were sad on the way back home, Papi?" Heidi asked, sitting up in bed, "Because you miss Mommy?"

The child was too damn smart and observant for her own good. Ranger sighed and said, "There are things going on in Papi's mind, thoughts, sometimes they make me sad, but I don't have time to be sad, I have you to take care of."

"Did you love my mommy?" Heidi asked softly, laying back down in her bed, "Would she have loved me too?"

"I loved her, with all of my heart," Ranger said softly, his eyes softening as though he was remembering something, "And I can bet all the money in the world, she would have loved every single part of you, she would have sang you to sleep and tuck you in and take good care of you, like I do."

Heidi smiled softly and said, "I wish Mommy wasn't away… Papi?"

"Yes, little one," Ranger asked, softly, sitting back on the bed, "What is it?"

"Can you sing to me, Papi?" Heidi asked, her eyes closing, "I wanna hear a song Mommy would sing."

Ranger smiled weakly and said, "Alright, Bella, she used to love this song."

Ranger cuddled Heidi up in his arms and began to sing, in a low soft voice.

_What's important for me?  
I tried to ask to myself  
I wanna protect something?  
In fact, even if I knew..._

_It's somehow difficult to live honestly  
So I have only one thing left  
In my heart_

Ranger felt Heidi's body go slack in his arms as he sang softly to her, her small head nestled in his shoulder and her small fists bunched up on his chest, her chest rising up and down as she slept.

_I wanna have the power to be able to say  
I love you to the one I love  
My smiling face shakes  
While shining like a gentle sunflower_

_What do you want to tell  
To the one you love?  
Can you tell all your thoughts  
And your true feelings?_

_Time that goes by is dressed in eternity  
So, it is for you to have no regrets  
In your heart_

Ranger kissed Heidi's forehead one last time and tucked her sleeping form back into bed. He turned on the side lamp and then left the room, closing the door softly. He made his way over to his bedroom and sat down on the chair that sat in it. It was an old chair, with the edges frayed and in dire need of repair, but Ranger wouldn't fix it, nor would he replace it. This chair held so many memories for him and he wanted to keep all the memories he had. Ranger leaned back in the chair and sighed, a lone tear falling on his cheek. Heidi wasn't the only one who wondered why Mommy had to go somewhere they couldn't go.

TBC…..

* * *

A little intimate moment between Father and Child. The song is Taiyou No Hana By Masami Okui (I'm a bit of a J-Pop nerd...mkay, that's why I'm going to Tokyo!) What do think? Please, leave a review!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6, enjoy, and yes, I write fast!

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Warning: None

Please review? owo

* * *

_A Mommy For Papi and Me_

_Chapter 6_

* * *

"Miss. Plum, it's always good to see you," The receptionist said, as Stephanie and Valarie walked into the small office building that belonged to Stephanie's attorney, "I hope you're not here because you're in trouble?"

Stephanie shook her head smiling broadly, "No way Margaret, we're for the 9 AM appointment for my sister."

"Oh, yes," Margaret said, looking down at the appointment book, "There you are, Miss. Valarie. I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to you, don't worry, Ms. Small is the best at what she does. She'll take that no good husband of yours to the cleaners."

Valarie smiled at Margaret and said, "Thanks, I could always use words like that."

Stephanie and Valarie sat down on a soft couch and leafed through magazines and accepted the cups of warm tea Margaret made for them. Stephanie picked up a lawyer type magazine and shook her head seeing her attorney on the front page that stated: "MOST SUCCESSFUL ATTONERY ON THE EAST COAST; BRITTANY SMALL"

Stephanie met Brittany purely by accident. A year ago, she had caught her husband of a few months fucking the town slut, Joyce Barnhart, on their dining room table. In a fit of rage, she kicked them both out, naked, and tossed all of Dickie's stuff in the middle of the yard and burned it. She then went out to a bar to get drunk and got drunk together with another woman who was getting drunk because she had caught her boyfriend cheating on her. She made friends with her drinking buddy and found out that she was a lawyer. Stephanie knew that she would need a lawyer for her impending divorce and asked Brittany to be her lawyer. Ever since then, they've had an excellent friendship. Stephanie spent many a weekends with Brittany at a resort or spa. Margaret was right, Brittany was excellent at what she did. Brittany took Dickie to the cleaners, he lost rights to the house, the cars, and Brittany made him give Stephanie half of all his assets. He was still paying alimony to her and would be until she got married again.

Twenty minutes into their wait, the door to Brittany's office opened and said woman came out squealing, "Stephanie! How are you?!"

Brittany was boundless energy all wrapped into a tiny package. She was a 5'1 woman with black hair and brown eyes. She was a pretty woman too, with a pout that could make men bend to her will. She was wearing a pair of beige colored slacks and a gold colored blouse that accented her milk chocolate skin tastefully. Her short hair has been tied up with a flow clip, with only a few curls hanging out in front of her forehead.

Stephanie hugged the woman and said, "I'm good, Brittany! How about you?"

"Oh, same old, same old, winning my cases and becoming more famous." Brittany said, before she turned to Valarie and said, "Hello, Ms. Plum, when Stephanie told me you needed help with an impending divorce, I couldn't say no to her, come on it, now, I have a question, do you want the bastard's kidneys or his lungs?"

"What?" Valarie asked, confused, earning a giggle from Stephanie and Brittany.

"Valarie sweetie," Brittany said, patting Valarie's hand, "I'm going to make sure Steve is left with nothing but the clothes on his back, and if I'm feeling extra mean in court, we'll take those too!"

As Brittany led Valarie into her office, Valarie turned to Stephanie and said, "Oh, she's good…."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Brittany settled down behind her desk and gave Valarie a look, "Okay, sweetie, let's get down to the meat, now, were you and your husband married in California or here in New Jersey?"

"Here, we got married here and two months later, we moved out to California," Valarie said, earning a head nod from Brittany.

"Good, good, good," Brittany said, writing things down, her smile getting bigger, "Now, then, did you sign a prenuptial agreement?"

"Yes, I did, because Mother told me to," Valarie said as Brittany sucked in some air through her teeth, "Is that bad?"

"Could, be," Brittany said, looking up and over to Valarie and Stephanie, "Though, it could work in our favor, Stephanie here, had to sign a pre-nup, but I got it nullified on the grounds of infidelity, I mean, everyone saw her kick them both out on the curb. Plus, I don't like Dickie, and the judge we got didn't like him either. The good news is, he abandoned you and your children, took all the money and ran. I'll make some calls in California about properties and assets, both your names are on the house, right?"

"The house, the cars, and the bank accounts," Valarie said softly, "Daddy told me to at least do that."

"Perfect, I'll get in contact with an estate attorney in California, and see about you getting full ownership of all 'abandoned' property," Brittany said, her smile now full of mirth, "Now, can you tell me, how long has that husband of yours has been having an affair?"

"I don't know," Valarie said softly, looking down, "But, last week, I went to the doctor office and found out that I have an STD."

"WHAT?!" Stephanie yelped looking at her sister, "That bastard! I'll kill him!"

"No you won't," Brittany said sharply to Stephanie, before turning to Valarie, "Can you tell me, what kind it is?"

"I got herpes," Valarie sighed sadly, looking over to Stephanie, "I'm on creams and pills, but, there's no cure."

Brittany nodded her head and said, "Mhmm, that barbaric man, we're taking his kidneys, his lungs, his balls and his eyes, Valarie I need for you to get your medical records from your old doctor, and then I'm going to file for you full custody of the girls. When you get full custody, and you will, we'll have a child support case in family court, if you want, we can even sue the man for pain and suffering."

Valarie shrugged her shoulders and said, "I think we'll start with the custody and child support thing," earning a nod from Brittany, "Oh, how much is this going to cost me? You must charge an arm and an leg."

"My original charge 3,000 and hour and if you win a lawsuit, 3o percent of the settlement money," Brittany said, making Valarie gasp, "But, for you, it's pro-bono."

"Free?" Stephanie said, before she pouted, "Why wasn't my divorce case free, I had to pay you 350 and hour!"

"And you still do," Brittany said with a smile, "You're lucky you got me before I made it big, you got grandfathered in, keep me, yes? As for Valarie's case, I need to do some pro-bono cases, I only have 3, I need at least five, if you know anyone else who needs legal help and can't pay for it, bring them to me."

"I sure will," Valarie said, grabbing Brittany's hand, "Thank you so much! You don't know how much this means for me."

Brittany smiled and said, "No problem, now, I'll be in touch with you by Thursday of this week, I'm going to get all of this expedited, hopefully things will get rolling by Monday of next week."

"Thank you, Brittany," Stephanie said, standing up with Brittany and Valarie, "Now, if you pardon us, we need to get things done before 2 this afternoon, I have a meeting to go then."

"Alright, Stephanie, see you soon," Brittany said, with a smile, "Stay out of trouble!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Ranger leaned back in his Cayenne, looking out the driver side window into the playground of the international school Heidi went to. He looked down at his watch and saw that it 10:45 in the morning. Heidi would be out on the little playground soon, to play for a half hour and then they would go back in for some down time and a snack and then at 11:30 he would pick her up. Being away from his child for almost 4 hours killed Ranger. But she needed the company of other children her age and so he sent her off to school. That doesn't mean he couldn't check up on her now and again. Luckily he was done with all his meetings, save for the one he had in the afternoon.

Ranger perked up, seeing Heidi's teacher lead the children out onto the playground, each small child holding the hand of one another. Ranger frowned seeing the little blond boy hold Heidi's hand. How dare that little punk! Holding his child's hand! Why the nerve of that punk! Ranger growled as the little boy led Heidi over to the swings and helped her on it, and began to push her. Oh no, pushing swings led to other stuff, like kisses, he couldn-

"Papi!" Heidi's voice broke through into his thoughts, and Ranger blinked, seeing that he had been walking over to the playground, over to his child and the little boy, "Papi, did you come here to go to school with me?"

Ranger nodded his head and said, "I got done with my meetings early and wanted to see my Bella," going over to the gate and entering through it, "How was school today, Bella?"

"Good," Heidi said, getting off the swing and running over to her father, "I missed you Papi! Oh, you can meet Thaddeus! Come on!"

Heidi led Ranger over to the little boy and said, "Thaddeus, this is my Papi, Papi, this is Thaddeus."

"Hello, Thaddeus, what a name for a little boy," Ranger said looking down at the tiny blond haired boy, "Who named you?"

"My Deda," Thaddeus said, looking up at Ranger, his voice laced with Russian, "You're as tall as my Deda."

"Oh, I am?" Ranger asked, crouching down in front of Thaddeus, "Your Deda must be a giant then."

"Mhmm," Thaddeus said with a smile, before he looked over to Heidi and then back to Ranger, "Papi, I like Heidi, one day I'm gonna marry her and everything!"

Do what now? Ranger blinked looking at the boy in front of him. He looked over to Heidi who smiled and nodded her head and then back to Thaddeus, "Maybe you should get through elementary school first…then we'll talk, okay?"

"Kay," Thaddeus said, before he tilted his head and asked, "Piggyback ride?"

Oh boy, Ranger looked over to the teacher who was chuckling at him. Ranger looked down at Thaddeus and then nodded his head, "Only one ride, alright kid?"

"Kay!" Thaddeus said jumping on Ranger's back, "Piggyback ride!"

"Okay, only one ride, then Heidi and I have to go," Ranger said, walking around the playground, "Kid, you're heavy."

"Not that heavy," Thaddeus said, patting Ranger's cheek with a giggle, "go faster horsey!"

"Kid, come on now..."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Hey Lula, we're back, thanks for watching the girls," Stephanie said, walking her shop, which was almost complete, "Hey now, what are you girls doing with those bras?!"

"We're Madonna, back in her prime," Angie giggled as she pranced about the store wearing a shiny black leather bra, "Lula says that we need to work on being a better diva."

"A better diva?" Valarie asked, watching Mary Alice bounce on the sofa, a strapless blue bra over her own sweater cladded chest.

"Darn skippy!" Mary Alice chirped, running over to her mother, "Mommy can we stay with Lula again? I like her, and we got to eat pizza and wings and drink soda, she says that growing girls need to eat and big girls need to eat as well!"

"That's Lula," Stephanie said with a smile as she looked over to her friend, "Wow, you got a lot done Lula, shoot, I'll let you pick out a set, on the house."

The shop was nearly complete, the racks were up as were the mannequins. Lula told Stephanie and Valarie that Mary Alice and Angie were good helpers, they helped her set up the chairs and helped her stencil in the artwork on the walls. Stephanie gave her nieces hugs and said, "How about some ice cream later on for being good helpers?"

"Thank you, Aunt Stephanie," The girls said, before running over to Lula and begging her to show them how to Vogue.

"I haven't seen them smile this much in the last few weeks," Valarie said with a sigh, looking over to Stephanie, "Thanks a lot, Stephanie, I mean it, you're much better help than our mom was."

"No problem," Stephanie said hugging Valarie, "You're my sister, gotta watch out for you, sometimes."

Stephanie let go of her sister and said, "Shit, it's 1:40, I gotta go to this meeting, Lula can you take control of things while I'm gone?"

"Darn skippy I can, with M.A and Angie, we'll hold down the fort, right privates?" Lula asked the two girls.

"Ma'am yes Ma'am," They chirped, saluting Lula.

"Okay, I should be back in an hour or so, see you later guys." Stephanie said walking out the shop and over to her car, "Let's see, this place should be on Haywood…okay, not too far from here."

As it turned out, the place she was looking for, was only 10 minutes away. The building was a seven story non-descript brick building with an underground garage. Stephanie didn't know where to park, so she parked on the side of the street in a two hour parking zone. She made her way into the entrance of the building and over to a greeting desk, where a man in black sat, looking at her. He was quite intimidating, and it made Stephanie wonder if Lula gave her the wrong address. Stephanie shrugged her shoulders and made her way over to the desk and asked, "Um, My name is Stephanie Plum, I have a meeting at two about getting security for my shop?"

The man looked down at his computer screen and said, "Alright, Ms. Plum please take the elevator up to the 5th floor, where the owners of Rangeman will greet you."

Stephanie looked over to the elevator and thanked the man behind the desk. Well, this was the right place, do all the employees look like that? Stephanie climbed into the elevator and pressed the 5th floor button. She frowned as the elevator went down to the basement garage, instead of going up. When the elevator door opened she heard a child's yelp of surprise and then, "MISS STEPHANIE!" finding her arms full with a four year old child. Stephanie looked down and smiled as amber colored eyes looked up at her, "Well, hello Miss. Heidi, we're not lost are we?"

"Nope," Heidi said, hugging Stephanie tightly, "My Papi works here!"

"He sure does," Stephanie looked up and saw Heidi's father in front of her, entering the elevator, "Miss. Stephanie, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here for a meeting with the owners about getting a new security system in my shop," Stephanie said, a shy smile on her face, "Heidi tells me that you work here…"

"I do more than work here," Heidi's father said, with a chuckle, sticking his hand out, "Carlos Manoso, Co-owner of Rangeman Security LLC, pleasure to meet, you Miss. Stephanie, you must be my 2PM meeting."

Oh boy…

TBC…..

* * *

THEY FINALLY MEET...AGAIN! Lol! Here's what you've been asking for, folks, tada. Now, please review, they uh...tend to make me write faster...hint...hint...*I threw in an Easter egg in this chapter, can anyone tell me what it is?* I might name a character after you if you correctly guess it owo


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7, enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? owo

* * *

A Mommy for Papi and Me

Chapter 7

* * *

"Papi! I wanna stay with Miss. Stephanie during your meeting, please?" Heidi asked, pouting at Ranger, "Please, please, super please, I'll be real quiet."

Ranger shook his head and said, "This is a client meeting, Bella, I don't think that Miss. Stephanie would like it if a child was in the meeting."

"But I won't ask questions," Heidi whimpered, gripping Ranger's slacks, "Please, please, please…."

Stephanie chuckled and then looked up to Ranger saying, "I don't mind if she stays with us in the meeting, I mean, she's adorable."

Heidi smiled up at Ranger and said, "See, Papi, I can stay, plus, Uncle Lester says I'm a woman magnet!"

"We'll have to talk to your Uncle Lester about his choice of words," Ranger said, before he nodded his head, "Okay, you can stay, do you have your coloring book in your backpack?"

"Mhmm!" Heidi said, running over to her pack and taking out her large math coloring book with her crayons, "I'll be silent as a moose!"

"I think you mean mouse," Stephanie said with a smile, before turning to Ranger, "Mr. Manoso, she's too cute for words, and I personally knows that she loves to eat, she's a winner in my books"

"Oh, that she does," Ranger said with a dazzling smile, "Please, Ms. Stephanie, call me Ranger, everyone else does, except for that little one over there, she has exclusive rights to call me Papi."

"That's cause you're my Papi!" Heidi said looking at Ranger, a smile on her face, "I love my Papi…."

Ranger smiled at Heidi and then turned to Stephanie, "What can I do for you, today, Miss. Stephanie?"

"Well, last week, my store was ransacked, and my father thought it best if I replaced my security with something new, and better," Stephanie said with a frown, "I have a re-opening party on Saturday and new security would be good."

"Okay, well,first, I would like to say, I'm sorry about your store being ransacked, I'll see to it, if you hire Rangeman, that this won't happen again. Now, what type of security would you like, Miss. Stephanie?" Ranger asked, leaning back in his seat, "Motion sensors, cameras, alarms? We do it all;"

Stephanie made to answer Ranger's question, but she was stopped with a,"Miss. Stephanie?" Stephanie looked down seeing Heidi pull at her sweater sleeve, "What kind of store do you have? Is it a candy store?"

"Oh, well, it's a lingerie store, that means it a store that sells underwear," Stephanie said watching Heidi, lean forward her eyes big with wonder, "It's not a candy store."

"Underwear store? There's a place for underwear?!" Heidi asked, turning to look at Ranger, "Papi! There's a store for underwear!"

Heidi turned back to Stephanie and said, "Papi buys me Hello Kitty undies, are there Hello Kitty undies there too?"

Stephanie laughed and said, "No, there isn't, but, should I start carrying Hello Kitty undies?"

"Maybe you should, I know lots of girls who like Hello Kitty, they could go to your store and buy them there!" Heidi said, with a giggle, before she leaned forward and asked, "Miss Stephanie can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure," Stephanie said, leaning down so that Heidi could whisper in her ear.

"Don't tell Papi, but, I would like it if I got my Hello Kitty undies from your store, cause, you're pretty and smell like flowers" Heidi said, before she pulled away from Stephanie's ear, "So, you need to stock your store with undies for me."

Stephanie nodded her head and said, "Okay, Heidi, I'll be sure to order some just for you."

Heidi smiled and then asked, in a soft voice, "Can I sit in your lap, while you talk to Papi, Miss. Stephanie?"

"Bella," Ranger said, but Stephanie plucked Heidi up in her arms and situated her in her lap.

"Sure you can, sweetie," Stephanie said with a smile, "Any girl who like Chinese noodles is welcome to sit with me, besides, you're helping me pick out my security package."

Heidi beamed up at Stephanie and the two looked down at the papers that had information about the package plans offered by Rangeman. Ranger shook his head and chuckled as they seemed to have an intense conversation. Heidi would point down at a word and then ask, "Miss. Stephanie, what is this word?" and Stephanie would answer it for her. Other times, Heidi would point at the estimates and gasp, "That's a lot of zeros, what's that number, Miss. Stephanie?" Stephanie was extremely patient with Heidi, even going as far as to ask the girl simple questions as well, like what days consisted of the weekend and counting up to 10 in Spanish, something that Heidi proudly showed off to Stephanie. It warmed Ranger's heart to see Heidi interacting with a woman. She spent a lot of time with Ella, but, Ella couldn't be with her all the time. Heidi needed some interaction with women, and Miss. Stephanie was giving his child all the attention she wanted and needed. Heidi was right, Miss. Stephanie would make a good mother ,one day.

"Okay," Stephanie said looking up at Ranger, "We've decided on this package, the one that has front entrance cameras, back entrance cameras, motion sensors, keypad entry to the office and stock room and the window upgrade, is it true that the window panes you install can withstand even a rocket from a rocket launcher?"

"Yes, it sure can Miss. Stephanie," Ranger said with a smile, pulling out a contract, "And since this is your first time, and you're still with a security company, we'll give you a discount and we'll end your services with your current company for you. When is a good time for us to come out and install all this for you?"

Stephanie looked down at the figures on the paper and said, "Ranger, you're not charging me enough for this package, I insist I pay my fair share, it's only right you know."

"This is the right price, for you Miss. Stephanie," Ranger said tapping the estimate he wrote down, "You took care of my daughter when she got lost in the mall, it's the least I can do to repay you for your kindness."

Stephanie shook her head at Ranger and said, "You don't need to pay me back, Ranger, I didn't mind taking care of Heidi, she's a sweetheart, I'd do it again too, if the need came up again. I demand to pay the full price."

"This is the full price, for you, Miss. Stephanie," Ranger said, shaking his head, "And yes, you'll take this estimate, because I'm not going to give you the other one."

"Oh, well, then I'll over pay on the estimate you gave me," Stephanie said placing her hand on the paper she and Heidi had looked at, "I only think it's fair that I pay full price, you're offering me top notch security and I should pay the full amount of said top notch security, I insist, Mr. Manoso."

Stephanie smiled as Ranger chuckled and said, "I've never met anyone to fight me to pay full price for a security package, all right, Miss. Stephanie, you win, full price, next year, this year, you get the introduction price."

"No, I insist I pay-" Stephanie started but Heidi grabbed her sleeve and said, "Miss. Stephanie! You better take the deal, Papi's not gonna take no for an answer, and we'll be here all night!"

Stephanie chuckled, running a hand down Heidi's back, saying, "Well, Papi's going to have to take my no, because, I'm not backing down either."

Ranger smiled and said, "You're a determined woman, Miss. Stephanie, I like that, fine, full price, no discounts or special deals."

"Thank you, Ranger, let's shake on it, and you can re-write that contract for me, and I'll get my lawyer to look over it," Stephanie said thrusting her hand out, "It's not that I don't trust you, but my lawyer got it through my brain to make sure she skims over everything before I sign my life away."

Ranger nodded his head and said, "She's a smart woman, just like her client," grabbing Stephanie's hand and shaking it, "Well, take the contract home with you, take it to your lawyer and call me when you're ready to sign, I'll come down to your shop and we can start marking down where we'll install the cameras and motion sensors, after you sign the contract."

Stephanie smiled and said, "Oh, no pressure from you to make me sign this quickly?"

"Miss. Stephanie, you don't need anyone pressuring you, you don't accept that, and I like it," Ranger said with a smile at Stephanie, "I know I'm going to enjoy working with you."

"Me too!" Heidi said, bouncing in Stephanie's lap, "I like working with you too, Miss. Stephanie!"

"Well, I just love working with you too, Heidi," Stephanie said, hugging the child to her, "You make a good business partner, Heidi, I'm going to have to keep you close to me, whenever I have to make deals and negotiations."

Heidi giggled and hugged Stephanie tightly, "I would like that, Miss. Stephanie."

Stephanie helped Heidi off her lap and said, "Well, I have to get going, there are things to do, and people to see, I'll be in touch soon."

Ranger took out his business card and said, "Here, it has my office phone and my cell phone on it, call me if anything comes up or if you need any help."

"Thank you, Ranger," Stephanie said, slipping the business card in her purse, "I'll remember that, have a good day, goodbye Heidi."

Heidi ran up and hugged Stephanie saying, "Goodbye Miss. Stephanie, I hope to see you again soon!"

"Well, I hope to see you again too," Stephanie said, placing a hand on Heidi's head, "I know the way out, don't worry about me!"

Stephanie walked out the office and closed the door, once she did, Heidi turned to her father and said, "Papi, I like Miss. Stephanie, can I see her again?"

Ranger smiled down at Heidi and said, "I don't know, Bella, maybe, if she says yes."

Heidi smiled up at Ranger and then made her way back to her abandoned coloring book. Ranger sat down at his desk and began to get all the papers back in order. He wanted to see Miss. Stephanie again soon as well. It's not too many people that can steal his child's heart, or peak his own interest.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Lula!" Stephanie said, running into her store, "Lula! Where are you?!"

"In the back," Lula said, popping her head out the office, "What's up, white girl?"

"You know that hot father from the mall, Heidi's father?" Stephanie asked, sitting down on a stool and leaning forward, "You know, Papi?"

"Yeah…." Lula said, walking out the office and over to Stephanie, "What about that hot Latino father?"

"Well, he's Tank's business partner!" Stephanie squealed, making Lula squeal as well, "His Name is Carlos Manoso, and he's one hot man, with one sweet child…he's the one who's going to install the security system!"

"Oh sweet tea and lemonade!" Lula sighed, fanning herself, "That is one hot Papi, and he's going to come here too and install the system, when?!"

"I don't know when, I have to get Brittany to look over the contract," Stephanie said, making Lula huff and put her hands on her hips.

"Well, get her lawyer ass over here now so she can look at the damn contract and then that hot Papi can come here and install that security system and uh…something else, if you know what I mean…"

"Lula!" Stephanie squealed, her face red, "He's not thinking about that, his world revolves around that little girl!"

"You don't know that," Lula said with a chuckle, before she sighed and then said, "But, you're right, Steph, that's one dedicated Papi…."

"Mhmm, if only half the men I meet were half as good of a father like Ranger," Stephanie sighed, before she turned to Lula, "And Heidi, the sweetest child you could ever meet, I just want to snuggle with her, I wish I had a Heidi."

"Damn skippy," Lula said, both women sighing together, "Alright, now, Steph, enough if this mooning, we got a store to get together, we only have three more days before the re-opening!"

"You're right," Stephanie said sitting up, "What's left to be done?"

"Hire the catering crew for the party, finish putting up the window displays and start stocking the racks." Lula said, getting out a check list, "I ain't available Friday morning until 12PM, I have a wedding party that's coming in to get their hair done."

"I'm sure Val and I can handle it," Stephanie said, flipping through the inventory log, "Oh, where are Val and the girls?"

"They got picked up by your pops, he took them back to your place." Lula said, standing up, "How is it, living with your sister and her girls?"

"It's interesting," Stephanie said with a smile, "Valarie's trying to get them into school now, but she needs to get their school records faxed over here, I told her that Brittany could help out with that as well, and with their medical records as choose to put them in the little elementary school that's two blocks down from the town houses. It has great reviews and a one of a kind language program. The girls will do great in it."

"Glad to hear that," Lula said, walking over to the display window, "And I'm glad to know that Tankie Wankie, is partners with Papi, more eye candy for us!"

"Lula!" Stephanie said with a giggle, "Get your head out the candy shop and back inside the lingerie store!"

"What's the difference, I bet Papi would look good in a lacy thong as well!"

"LULA!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

What in the heck? Ranger thought as Heidi let out a squeal and ran over to a familiar blond boy. What is that little punk doing in their swimming classes?!

"Thaddeus!" Heidi squealed, hugging the boy, "You're here to learn how to swim too?!"

"Mhmm, Deda says I'm gonna be a world class swimmer," Thaddeus said proudly, grabbing Heidi by her hand and leading her over to the pool, "Let's go see our teacher, Heidi!"

"Now you-" Ranger started but a man let out a boom of laughter from behind him, making him turn to see an older version of Thaddeus."

"Oh-ho, that's who Diesel's been chatting to us over dinner," The man said watching Diesel and Heidi strip off the clothes that was over their swimsuits, "Heidi, and you must be Heidi's Papi, has he told you that he's going to marry her after elementary school?"

"I was the one who recommended that they wait until after elementary school," Ranger said, as the tall blond man thrust his hand out.

"Maxim Vladimir, and you know my son already, Thaddeus, but we call him Diesel at home," The man chuckled.

Ranger shook his head and said, "Carlos Manoso," shaking the man's head, "Heidi's father, I have to admit, your kid has guts, I gave him a stare down that he shook off with ease."

"Ja, he's a thick headed little boy and persistent, I have to admit, whatever he says he's going to do, he does it," Maxim said shaking his head, "You know, he's been asking for a play date with Heidi,begging his mother and I and so I told him that we needed to talk to Heidi's parents before we make any arrangements."

"Play date?" Ranger said, looking over to the two children, his thoughts churning "Date?"

"Oh, well, Diesel is free this Saturday!" Maxim said patting Ranger on the back, "You should give me your address and I'll bring him over bright and early."

What?! What did Ranger just agree to?! "My address?"

"Yes, since you want Diesel over this Saturday," Maxim said with a chuckle, "Give me your address, and I'll bring him right over!"

Maxim smiled and said, "This is going to be a nice friendship, I can already tell, Carlos, I can't wait to tell Diesel about his play date, he'll behave, for once."

Do what now?! Play Date, when!? Ranger rubbed his forehead and said, "Dios…." Closing his eyes and following Maxim over to their kids, "I can see where the kid gets it from…"

TBC….

* * *

Aw, Poor Ranger he has to deal with two of them now...well, how was it? Please, leave a review! And as for the Easter egg in the last chapter, well, it's my name, the lawyer is named after me! 8D Sometimes, I just have to put myself in my stories sometimes!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8, enjoy. Yeah, I write fast, and all this in between writing six papers too!

Warning: A little bit of sadness at the end...

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy, Review please? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 8

* * *

"Mhmm," Brittany said, flipping through the contract Stephanie presented her, "Mhmm, Mhmm, oh…you get insurance through this, lucky duck…Mhmm, annnnnd…yup, everything is cool with this contract, Stephanie, sign it, and you'll be solid, and for the price you're going to pay, totally worth it!"

Stephanie smiled and took the contact from Brittany saying, "Thanks, Brittany, you're a freaking life saver, to drop everything and see me at the last minute."

"No, you're the lifesaver," Brittany said, waving her hands to look at the food in front of her, "You know how much I'm a sucker for buffets! And you're paying! Sorry, I may be rich and successful, but those old Virginian habits die hard."

Stephanie shook her head as she signed the contract, "How did you see that I would be getting insurance with this policy? I've looked through this three times and didn't see it!"

"Well, Stephanie, you know all those lawyer books on my book cases, they're not for show, I do read them, from front to back, I can catch every tiny detail in everything," Brittany said, plowing through her ribs, "Man! This lunch buffet is bangerang! Ribs and crab legs! Mmmm!"

Stephanie nodded her head and said, "Yeah, it's a really good place, well, now Brittany, what's going on in the world of law?"

Brittany licked the BBQ off the side of her cheek and said, "Well….my newest client is famous, but that's all I can tell you about that, well, I can say, he just won an Oscar, but that's it!"

Stephanie squealed softly and then said, "Holy shit! I can't believe it!" before she sobered up and said, "How's it going with Val's case?"

"Well, the judge moved it quicker than I expected him too, apparently, Steve made enemies in California, and he's been in some illegal things, like….bribery and paying off judges," Brittany said, an evil grin forming on her BBQ stained face, "Oh, yes, that bastard is going down, but, apparently, he's out of the country, and so, the Judge granted Val full custody of the girls, and a judge in California awarded her all the abandoned property, which includes the house, the cars and any non- liquid assets."

"Well, that's great!" Stephanie said, earning a nod from Brittany, "But, what's the catch?"

"Damn, you know me so well," Brittany said, with a chuckle, but frowning, "It's going to be tied up for a bit, due to the fact that Steve has been doing illegal things. One lawyer is out to get Valarie because he can't get to Steve. He has no proof that Valarie was apart of Steve's schemes, but he's trying hard. I've a buddy in California who knows so people, he'll help me out, and plus, I got my bar in that state too."

"You've been a busy lawyer," Stephanie chuckled at Brittany as she ate her ribs.

"Please, I got my California Bar first, that was the real monster! After I got that one, every other state I can practice law in had easy Bars." Brittany said with a shrug of her shoulders, "I even got a bar in Mississippi, but I only do pro-bono cases in that state, and I only do them every other year."

Stephanie nodded her head and said, "Alright, I'll call Ranger up today and hopefully he can be in today in my shop."

"Oh, I can't wait for Saturday," Brittany said with a leer, "New bras and panties, I can't wait!"

"Yeah, but you're not getting a discount," Stephanie said to Brittany, making her pout, "You can afford all my things!"

"I know I can, but do I want to-" Brittany started but paused as a man walked up to them, "Oh hell no! You! You get away from here! Didn't I tell you that I didn't want to see you again?!"

Stephanie could feel Brittany puffing up in anger at the handsome man in front of her. She wondered what he had done to her? Stephanie was going to find out soon.

"Brittany, Baby, I'm sorry I cheated on you, but now, I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you," The man said, making Brittany hiss in rage.

"You can go and fu-" Brittany started but then another man came up to their table, pushing Brittany's ex-boyfriend away from the table.

"Hey now, why are you trying to talk to my girl?" The man said, pushing Brittany's ex away from the table, his green eyes blazed with anger, "Damn, I leave to go get some food and then I see you trying to make a move, she said go away, go away."

Brittany's ex sputtered as the built mad sat in the booth beside Brittany and wrap his arm around her shoulder. Brittany composed herself and then smiled and cooed, "Oh, yes, I'm sorry, baby, can you forgive me for attracting such scum?"

Stephanie giggled as the man tweaked Brittany's nose and said, "It's alright, Sweetpea, I forgive you."

Brittany's ex gave her one last look and then was off. Brittany let out sound and said, "Thanks, random stranger, for saving my ass back there, that piece of shit, I thought I lost him, apparently, when I got all big and famous, he wanted a slice of the cake too."

"No problem," The man said with a wink, "Can't let cute women get harassed by douche bags, the name is Lester Santos, all around good guy."

"Brittany Small, all around good lawyer, in the courts, they call me a piranha, because I always when and I have sharp teeth." Brittany said, shaking Lester's hand, "You might as well join us for lunch, since you're seated and all that."

"Thanks!" Lester said with a smile before he leaned back and got himself all comfy, "This is a great place, they have some of the best ribs in this part of New Jersey!"

"That's what I was saying," Brittany said with a smile, pointing to the pile of bones on her plate, "And can you believe this is the lunch buffet?! They must have lobster tail on the dinner line!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"The children like it when you show up randomly, Mr. Manoso," Heidi's preschool teacher said with a chuckle, as Ranger sat down on a bench, "You give the best piggy back rides, apparently."

"Well, I'm glad they like," Ranger said, watching as Diesel and Heidi sat on a small bench chatting happily away, "You should go over there and get that boy, he's harassing my child."

"Thaddeus and Heidi?" The teacher said, raising an eyebrow, "Mr. Manoso, I know what's wrong with you and I know why you're here, you don't need to worry about that boy giving cooties to your child, they only hold hands when in line, it's the buddy system I have."

"Yeah, but what about when you're not around?!" Ranger asked, he could feel his blood pressure rise as Diesel helped Heidi off the bench and led her over to the swings, "Dios, he's holding her hand now!"

"It's just harmless," The teacher said, giving Ranger a look, "Now, see here, Mr. Manoso, they are four, I doubt they're going off to an empty room and kissing."

"They do that at this age?!" Ranger was now in full panic mode, "Dios! My poor Bella, I bet that punk has had his wicked way with her!"

"You're working yourself up, you just need a distraction, beside Thaddeus is a gentleman with Heidi," The said, said Ranger stood up and began to pace the length of the tiny playground, "Mr. Manoso, do not go over there."

"I'm just going to grab my daughter and lock her up in a tower," Ranger muttered, making to walk over to the two children but his phone rang. Ranger answered it with a quick, "Yo."

"Mr. Manoso, don't you have better phone manners?" A familiar voice said, full of amusement, "It's me, Stephanie, I signed the contract, you can come over whenever you'd like to talk about installing the security system."

Thank goodness, a reason to take his innocent child away from that punk! "I'll be down at your shop soon, give me the address."

"Oh, you need new phone manners," Stephanie laughed, but gave Ranger the address to the shop, "See you soon."

Ranger hung up the phone and said to the teacher, "Well, work calls, and, by the way, I'm taking my child with me."

"Okay, Mr. Manoso." The said with a soft chuckle, watching Ranger go over to the two children and pick Heidi up and carry her into the school.

"Goodbye, Thaddeus, good bye Mr. Charles!" Heidi said waving to the two people, "Papi! Where are we going?"

"I have work to do and I thought you would like to go with me," Ranger said to Heidi earning a head nod and a hug, "Good, though, we'll get you some food first, I don't want that tummy rumbling."

"I want…Chinese!" Heidi said earning a head nod, "I want noodles and shrimp and a root beer!"

"No root beer, you can have juice or milk," Ranger said, grabbing Heidi's book bag from the little hook and then carrying her out to the Cayenne, "Pick one."

"Juice, White Cranberry, please," Heidi said, as Ranger placed her in her seat and strapped her in, "Thank you, Papi."

"You're welcome, Bella," Ranger said climbing in the car and starting it, "Alright, Bella, let's go get you some food, and then we're going off to work."

"Working, people, right?" Heidi asked, leaning back in her seat, "We have to bring the bacon home!"

"That stuff is bad for you," Ranger said with a chuckle, looking back at Heidi quickly, "We don't eat bacon."

"Uncle Lester feeds me bacon," Heidi said a small smile on her face, "Shh, you're not supposed to know!"

"Bella…"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Oh wow," Brittany said, walking into Stephanie shop, "It's looking good Stephanie. Hmm, can't believe in three days it's going to be crowded. Where's Lula?"

"She'll be here soon, she had to do someone's hair," Stephanie said with a shrug, closing the front door and walking over to the sofa, "She knows she has to help me start stocking up, you want to see the new stock I got for the store?!"

"Hell yeah!" Brittany said, as Stephanie got up and ran over to the boxes that rested in a corner, "Lemme see, lemme see!"

Stephanie brought the boxes over and Brittany pawed through them, ohhing and awing at the pieces she took out and placed on the counters. Brittany giggled pulling out the sky blue G-string, saying, "Now this is a piece, where's the matching bra?"

"In another box, downstairs," Stephanie said as Brittany laid out the piece of clothing, "So, that Lester Santos was a hunk, huh?"

"Sure was," Brittany said with a smile, "I got his number and everything, we have plans to go out sometime, you know, for me to thank him for saving me from my Ex."

"Sure," Stephanie giggled as Brittany placed a tiny thing against her, "No way, you need a large, for your big butt!"

"Take that back, you cad!" Brittany giggled, tossing the thong back down.

"Miss. Stephanie!" A voice screamed, making Stephanie and Brittany look up as Heidi came running into the shop, "Miss. Stephanie! I missed you!"

Stephanie smiled and crouched down so that Heidi could run over and hug her tightly, "Oh, it's only been a day, you couldn't have missed me that much!"

"No," Heidi said shaking her small head a smile on her face, "I did," she turned to Brittany and then said, "That's not Miss. Lula, who's thank, Miss. Stephanie?"

"That's my friend Brittany, she's a lawyer," Stephanie said as Brittany walked over to two and waved to Heidi, "She's really nice too."

"What's a lawyer?" Heidi asked, letting go of Stephanie and walking over to Brittany, "Is it a big job?"

"It sure is," Brittany said nodding her head and crouching down in front of Heidi, "I go to a big place called a court house and help people out who are having problems with the law."

"Oh…that sounds like a big job," Heidi said, before turning to Stephanie and saying, "I like your friend, Miss. Stephanie, she smells like candy and is pretty!"

"Oh shucks," Brittany said, patting Heidi's head, "You are too cute, squirt."

"Bella, what did I tell you about running off without me?" Ranger asked, walking into the shop, making Brittany's eyes widen and her mouth to drop.

"Not to run off: a soldier never leaves one of their own behind," Heidi said in her serious voice, making Brittany squeal loudly.

"She's too cute! I want one too!" Brittany said, hugging Heidi to her, "Are there more of these out there?"

"No Ma'am," Ranger said giving Brittany and Stephanie a dazzling smile, "There's only one Heidi."

Brittany let go of Heidi and scooted over to Stephanie, "Oh boy…now I know what Lula was talking about, he's so fine!"

Stephanie elbowed Brittany and then walked over to Ranger saying, "Ranger, thanks for coming quickly, here's the shop, let me show you around."

Ranger nodded and said, "Thanks, Miss. Stephanie, I see the two front windows that'll be replaced and do you want the cameras inside or outside the shop in the front?"

"Inside near the front entrance," Stephanie said, turning, "This door leads to the basement, which has no exit, and this door leads to the back alley, I want cameras on the outside above the door way."

Ranger took out a planner and nodded his head, writing down Stephanie's wishes. Stephanie led him over to the office saying, "I want the keypad entry here, and can I get two codes, one for me and the other for my part-time manager?"

"You got it, Ma'am," Ranger nodded as the two walked around the shop, "I'm thinking motion sensors in the front of the shop and in the back of the shop, and on the doors, that way, you can hear when anyone is coming into the shop from the front or from the back of the shop."

"Good idea," Stephanie said, looking over to the door, "All I had were bells, and they weren't much good when the shop got ransacked."

Stephanie looked over to Ranger, who was writing something down. She liked the serious look on his face, he was a man who not only knew what he was doing, but was thorough with each job. She also enjoyed the way his arm muscles moved and flexed as he wrote things down. He looked like a strong man.

"So, uh," Stephanie started, making Ranger look up from his planner, "How are things going for you today."

"Good, I picked Bella up from school early and we went out for Chinese, she happens to be an avid fan of it," Ranger said a small smile on his face, "What about you , Miss. Stephanie?"

"You can just call me Stephanie," Stephanie said with a smile, "I spent time putting the final touches on the shop and then I spent time with Brittany, eating lunch with her. She met this handsome man today, his name is Lester, I forget what his last name was, but, he got rid of her Ex, who was trying to get back with her, and now they have a little outing of some sorts, it's kind of cute, wish I had that luck with men."

"Stephanie, I doubt you have that much bad luck in finding men," Ranger said, looking over to Stephanie who sighed and nodded her head, "Stephanie, you are a successful and beautiful woman, any man can see that and those men who used you and abandoned you so quickly didn't deserve you, don't let those past failures dictate your present and future."

Stephanie blinked and said, "Wow, no one…no one's ever told me that, Ranger, I mean, my mother, she blamed me for my ruined marriage."

"Well she's wrong, and she can't see when something's good in front of her," Ranger said with the shake of his head.

"Your wife is pretty lucky to have you, Ranger," Stephanie said off handedly making Ranger sigh and say out loud, "I…I don't have a wife, Stephanie."

Stephanie turned to Ranger and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, did she divorce you, I'm so sorry, that was too personal of a question."

"It's alright," Ranger said with a small curve of his lips, "She…left Heidi and me back when Heidi was an infant."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, she left you, why would she abandon such a lovely child?" Stephanie asked, making Ranger shake his head and walk past Stephanie.

"I don't know, Stephanie," Ranger said, pausing and then turning to Stephanie, a smile on his face, "So, Stephanie, where you like the video feed of your-"

"Papi! Look what I found!" Heidi squealed running up to Ranger and Stephanie holding the sky blue G-string that Brittany had taken out the box, "These are tiny, are they little girl's undies?"

Stephanie blushed and said, "Heidi, those are not undies for little girls, they're uh…floss, for your teeth, but they're only for grown up!" Taking the G-string from Heidi, "Now, uh, why don't you go back to Brittany and tell, she and I are going to have a serious chat!"

Heidi smiled and chirped, "Okay, Miss. Stephanie! I like this place, Papi, can I come here all the time?!"

Ranger chuckled and said, "Bella, what am I going to do with you?"

Stephanie chuckled as Heidi ran off, "Now, why would her mother just up and leave a special child like that?"

"So," Ranger said quickly, looking down at his planner, "We'll set up the installation time for tomorrow morning, maybe early in the morning, yes?"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Ranger sat down in the old frayed chair in his room and covered his face with his hands, leaning forward on his knees and letting out a low and long heave. He knew Stephanie hadn't meant to hurt him, or bring up such memories, but she had and it hurt him so badly, he could feel his heart ache. Not even sitting in the chair could make him feel better.

"Why'd you have to leave us?" Ranger asked no one, feeling his eyes burn with tears, "Why?"

Ranger would never get his answer, but the question was always at the tip of his tongue, and now, to put it in words, it had his chest heaving with silent sobs and tears dropping on to his hands.

"Why?"

TBC…..

* * *

We all need to remember that Ranger is still a man, and he has some issues he needs to work out, this last part had me choking up a bit. So, how was it? Please leave a review? You guys thought I was kidding when I said reviews make me write fast ;D


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9, enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter one

Please review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 9

* * *

Stephanie rubbed her aching arms and legs sitting down in the arm chair that resided beside the small changing stalls in the back of the stall. Lula was fast asleep on the couch in the front of the shop, surrounded by empty boxes, plastic bags and Pino's take out boxes. Brittany fared better out of the two of them, bringing in blankets she had in the back of her car and using them to sleep on the other couch in the shop. Stephanie had to thank the stars for friends like Lula and Brittany, without them she would still be floundering around, trying to piece together the rest of the shop. They had spent the rest of Wednesday afternoon all of the night and half of the early morning pricing and tagging every single bra, panty, garter and other intimate wear Stephanie would be selling in the shop. Tomorrow, while Ranger and his men were installing the new windows and security system, Stephanie would be training Valarie.

Stephanie let out a sigh, cracking her neck and looking into the dimly lit shop. She took some time to think about Ranger and how he acted in the shop earlier today. At first he had been happy and open, even going as far as to say some very flattering things to her, but then, after she said something about Heidi's mother and possibly her abandoning them both, he shut himself down, asking basic questions and then leaving with Heidi as soon as he could. She must have hit a cord with Ranger with that topic. She hadn't meant to, she had just been rambling. Why would anyone with half a brain leave such a handsome man his darling daughter? It's so weird! Stephanie could only assume, because she thought it would be rude of her to ask about his past life. She didn't know anything about Ranger.

But, she wanted to…she wanted to get to know Ranger. He spurred something in her and she enjoyed the feeling. Maybe one day, he'll tell what's on his mind, but for right now, she wanted to be his friend.

Maybe something more will spring from it. She could only hope.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Aw shit," Brittany said, rubbing her tired face and looking at her cell phone, "Shit, shit, shit, I got court in an hour, pertaining to Valarie, I'm dressed in yesterday's clothes and my house is two hours away, shit, shit, shit."

"Here," Lula said, tossing Brittany a pack of mints and a hair brush, "Your hair looks like shit, I would do it for you, but you only have an hour."

"I'm sorry!" Stephanie said to Brittany, who waved her off and began to run the brush through her hair, while shoveling mints in her mouth, "I fell asleep before I could wake you up."

"Hey, forget about it, Margaret is heading to court with all my important papers, I just need to head over there myself," Brittany said, swallowing what was in her mouth and tossing off her blazer and turning to Stephanie, looking at the turtleneck that Stephanie wore, "You, take that off, Margaret is bringing me a new blazer, but I need a new shirt, we'll switch out."

Stephanie shook her head, but did what Brittany told her to do, putting on the fall blouse the lawyer had worn, "Tell me how it goes, okay? Daddy called and said he'd drop Valarie off at the courthouse."

"I'll bring her back here," Brittany said, before she grabbed her phone and was running out the store, nearly crashing into Ranger and a group of men, who were walking into the shop, "Hey! Lester! Can't talk now, but I will be back later, lunch, yes? 1 PM! Nice to see you too, Ranger, and all the sexy men with you!"

Stephanie shook her head as her friend jumped into her car and was off. She turned to Ranger and the group of men with him and said, "Goodness! A group of sexy men to install all the security? Lula do you see this?"

"I see it, but I don't believe it!" Lula said, before she took a look at herself in the mirror, "Morning hair! And you all are here?! Yikes!"

Lula ran into the bathroom of the shop, slamming the door and locking it. Stephanie chuckled and said, "You're here early."

"I wanted to get this all done before noon," Ranger said motioning for the men to begin work installing the security equipment, "I want to be out your hair befor-"

"Ranger, I'm so sorry that I asked such personal questions yesterday, I know you're going to tell me that it's not a problem and I have nothing to be sorry for but I am." Stephanie said, placing a hand on Ranger's shoulder, "It affected you and it wasn't my place to ask such questions, I mean, I don't know much about you, apart from you being a loving father and a successful business man."

"That's a mouthful, Stephanie, but, apology accepted," Ranger said with a soft smile, "It sounds like you want to know a bit more about me, hmm?"

"Maybe, a bit," Stephanie said with a smile, "I mean, I've come to like your child, and it seems she wants to see a bit more of me too."

"Heidi has that charm," Ranger said before he looked up and said, with a wince, "The men are going to mess up the stencil on the windows, Stephanie, look, tell you what, I'll help you stencil the same designs on the new windows."

"Oh, thanks, but-" Stephanie started but Lula appeared and said, in a breathless tone, "She'd love the help, Ranger, I can't be here when this all is happening, I uh..gotta do someone's hair! You'll have to it later on in the day, Stephanie, since you gotta train you sis and all that shit."

Ranger rose one eyebrow, looking at Lula, who nodded her head and looked over to Stephanie, giving her a pointed look. It took Stephanie a moment to realize what Lula was doing; she was giving Stephanie time to spend with Ranger, and possibly Heidi! Stephanie made a mental note to give Lula a raise, the woman was a saint!

"Yeah," Stephanie said with a smile, looking at Ranger, "Sorry, but it'll have to be later on in the day, I'll be busy all this morning, and most of the afternoon."

"Oh, well, I guess it'll have be this afternoon," Ranger said with a shrug, "Though I might have company, I can't do such a big job without my partner in crime. Now, pardon me, ladies, I'm going to help Lester with installing some of the cameras."

"Lula, I owe you big time," Stephanie said with a smiled, looking over to her friend, who shrugged and said, "That's what friends are for and besides, I know you've been itching to chat up Papi, since you found out he don't have a wife."

"I just want to be his friend," Stephanie argued, looking over to Lula, "He looks like he could use a friend."

"Oh, a friend with benefits, I hear ya, but I'm more of a person who wants a relationship," Lula said walking away from Stephanie, who huffed and followed after her.

"That's not what I meant, you woman you, says the person who wouldn't mind seeing Papi in a red G-string!"

"I can't help it, did you see those muscle?!" Lula asked, fanning herself, "He's hot!"

Okay, maybe he was kind of hot, oh who was Stephanie kidding, maybe?! No, Ranger was one hot father!

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Now, I have to warn you, Diesel eats like an elephant, he'll eat you out of house and home, so I recommend, heavy foods, that slows him down," Maxim said to Ranger who nodded his head absentmindedly, chocolate brown eyes on two children who were playing on the international school's playground, "I should mention that Diesel loves to get into trouble, keep all breakable things away from him, this includes Vases, cups, bowls, window panes…I'm just kidding about the window panes…"

Was Ranger listening to this man, no, he was watching his child play with the punk. He wasn't really watching the punk, he was thinking about how Heidi seemed to love Stephanie. Heidi thrived on the attention the woman gave her and Stephanie was willing to give his child all of his attention. He liked that. There are plenty of women who have Heidi attention and heaven knows, she got a lot of female attention, but, it wasn't like the attention Stephanie gave her. Stephanie would make a good mother. The way she had all eyes on Heidi and that soft warm smile she had just for his child. That's a woman Heidi should be influenced by, Miss Stephanie Plum…

"….And you should really watch out, he watched 'Big Daddy' the other day and is into peeing on the side of the house and in plants, I caught him peeing on the neighbor's bushes, and poor Mr. Grant, nearly had a stroke," Maxim boomed, laughing loudly and making Ranger turn to him, "Oh, you'll have your hands full of him, this Saturday!"

Fuck, he hadn't heard a word the man had said! Ranger really needed to tune up on his multi-tasking skills. Ranger nodded his head and said, "I think I can handle Thaddeus, Maxim, I do have a question, why are you here today?"

"Well, Diesel came home, talking about how you come here all the time and play with the all the children and so, I thought I should come as well, in fact the classroom fathers are thinking about starting up a system where we come and enrich the children's playtime with fun activities," Maxim said, slapping Ranger on the back with his large hands, "Mr. Charles approves of this and we all agree, you should be in charge of it."

Damn, that slap to the back had Ranger wondering if the man was really from Norway or some country like that, where some of the men where giants! That hurt him, and he was a Special Ops officer who had been through torture! Wait…wait did Maxim say?! "You want me to lead group activities?"

"Well, me and the other father's do, you seem like a natural born leader and plus, you're always here, Mr. Charles has never seen such dedication from a father to a child," Maxim said with a smile, slapping Ranger's back again, "You'll make us quite proud!"

Ranger was starting to believe that there was a high power against him, or was it from the two Vladimirs themselves? Oh, he would find out. But, now, he had to think of some activities for the children.

Fatherhood came before anything else and if Heidi's classmates wanted enrichment, well, damn it, he would give them enrichment.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"So, Valarie," Brittany said, sitting down on the stool that sat behind the counter of Stephanie's shop, "I uh, got some good news and some bad news…which one do you want first?"

Stephanie looked over to her sister, who seemed to think this question over seriously, before saying, "I want the bad news first."

Brittany inhaled deeply and said, "Well, Valarie, I was….unable…to get his balls for you, but, I SURE AS HELL GOT THE REST HIS ORGANS!"

Stephanie and Valarie jumped back at Brittany's declaration, "Do what now?" Stephanie asked, Brittany who giggled madly.

"Steve came back to the states, when I got a California judge to freeze some of the hidden accounts we found, and a friendly group from the men in blue was waiting from him at US customs. Arrested on the spot, and Steve is now sitting behind bars," Brittany said proudly, making Valarie squeal and hug her, "Hey now, I still need my organs!"

"Thank you, but, what about the other things, Brittany?" Valarie asked, earning a sigh from Brittany.

"Well, we ran into a problem with that, it was uh, confiscated by the feds, apparently, dirty money was tied into everything, Val, the property, the house, the cars, and any liquid assets that remained," Brittany said with a puff of air, "Which blows, because, Steve isn't going to be able to afford child support or alimony from a prison salary. I'm appealing to some high courts now, but, uh, I may be good at what I do, but that doesn't mean they'll be quick about it, might take a couple weeks, months or years, depending on who I made mad lately, and who are the new Federal Judges, and that son of a bitch Walker is a judge for the US district court we're located in."

"He can't be that bad?" Stephanie said, watching Brittany shake her head, "What's wrong?"

"He's an old southern fart who believes a woman's place is at home with her husband and should remain pregnant and barefooted at all times," Brittany sneered to no one, "I've been trying to get him booted out of the courts for a few years now, but no one can shake him, he's backed by old money…"

"How in the world am I going to support my girls?" Valarie sighed, sitting down on the other stool, and placing her hands on her face, "That bastard, first he runs off with the baby sitter and now he messes everything up for me and the girls."

"Don't worry, you can work here and live with me for as long as you need to," Stephanie said, patting her sister's back, "And Brittany will be on your case, right?"

"Right," Brittany said with a smile, patting Valarie's back, "Now, you cheer up, look, it's almost time for you to pick up the girls from school, I'll take you there, Stephanie has some uh…unfinished work to get done with."

As if on cue, the door to the store opened and in came Heidi, holding a baggie full of pretzels and a smile on her face, "Miss. Stephanie! Your worker is here, reporting for duty!"

"Bella, now, what do I keep telling you?" Ranger asked, entering the shop and giving Heidi a pointed look.

"Never leave a comrade behind enemy lines, sir!" Heidi said saluting Ranger, "Unless Miss. Stephanie is waiting for them!"

"Now you just hold on there you," Ranger chuckled, lifting Heidi up in her arms and tickling her, "That's not what I said."

Heidi squealed with laughter and said, "It's a new rule! Papi!"

"Oh yes, unfinished business," Brittany said, waving to the two new comers, "Bye, Ranger, see you later, Heidi!" leading Valarie out the shop.

Stephanie blushed hearing her sister say, "They sure don't make them like that anymore…."

"So, Stephanie, where're the tools to stencil the windows?" Ranger asked plopping Heidi on the couch, along with her backpack, "We have a lot of work ahead of us."

"Oh, right here," Stephanie said, going over to the glass stenciling kit that was on the counter, "Uh, so , let's get started!"

"Guess what, Miss. Stephanie," Heidi said, sliding off the couch and going over to where Stephanie stood, "Guess what Papi's doing at my school?"

Stephanie smiled and crouched down in front of Heidi, "What's he doing, Heidi?"

"Papi's planning activities for my class during playground time, cause he's always at school, and Mr. Charles likes the idea!" Heidi said with a giggle, looking over to her father.

"Bella," Ranger said, shaking his head and working on the windows, "Please, don't tell the world."

"But, I want to Papi, because I love you!" Heidi said, hugging the man's legs, "Miss. Stephanie, my Thaddeus and I have a play date on Saturday, we're gonna have a lot of fun!"

"Oh, you are? Well, tell me, who's Thaddeus," Stephanie asked, standing up to go back to work on the window.

"He's a boy in my class, and he's my best friend, in fact, he told me that we're going to get married, what does marry mean?"

"Marry means, when two people love each other very much, they want to spend the rest of the lives together and so they get married, or vow to remain with one another," Stephanie said, watching Heidi's eyes get big with wonder.

"Oh, well then, I don't want to marry Thaddeus, I want to marry Papi!" Heidi said, with a smile, "Cause, I love him and I want to be with him for forever!"

"That is so sweet," Stephanie said with a smile, looking over to Ranger's smiling face, "You're never getting rid of her, Ranger."

"Good, because that darn Thaddeus, he's always too close to her at school, they were holding hands," Ranger said, as the two worked, "Do you know what happens when the start holding hands?"

"No, what?" Stephanie asked, hiding her giggles.

"They start to kiss, and my daughter is too young to be kissing," Ranger said, giving Stephanie a look, "I have to watch out for that punk!"

"You are such a wonderful, father," Stephanie said with a chuckle, smiling at Ranger, "But, I doubt, kissing Heidi is on Diesel's mind."

"Well, it better not be," Ranger said, glaring at nothing, "I don't want any one kissing my Bella."

"Oh boy," Stephanie said with a giggle, looking over to Ranger, "You are going to be a hoot when she's a teenager, Ranger, you know, when she gets older, she's going to have a line of boys after her, right?"

The look of pure bewilderment on Ranger's face had Stephanie cracking up. Oh yes, she could really come to love Ranger's company. This was the start to something beautiful…

"Don't worry, Ranger, that's only 10 years away," Stephanie giggled, placing a hand on Ranger's arm, "Let's just worry about Boo-boos and dress up and spelling."

"In ten years, she'll be locked up in a tower, no dirty little boy can get her then," Ranger muttered, making Stephanie giggle again, "It's not funny, Stephanie, those little boys are serious, I used to be one!"

Stephanie shook her head and said, "Alright, Ranger, let's get back to work."

Yes, Stephanie was going to enjoy her time with Ranger and Heidi.

TBC….

* * *

I think Ranger with a teenage Heidi would be hilarious! Well, how was it? Please Review, they tend to make me write faster...hint hint...;D


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10! Enjoy

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter one

Please Review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 10

* * *

"I was wondering why it's so silent in the shop," Stephanie said, as she and Ranger put the last of the stenciling up on the window, "She's fast asleep."

Ranger turned to the couch that Heidi had claimed as her territory and smiled. Heidi lay sprawled across the couch, her coloring book underneath her head and a few crayons in her hands, the remains of her dinner, Chinese take out, on the floor beside her. Ranger looked down at his watch and said, "Well, no wonder why she's fast asleep, it's 10:30,"

"Oh my goodness, I didn't know it would take that long for us to do both these windows!" Stephanie said with a look of horror, "And she has school in the morning and everything."

"Oh, she doesn't have school tomorrow, the school she goes to only has school four days a weeks," Ranger said putting down his tools and looking at the work they finished, "I have to admit, Stephanie it's looking good."

Stephanie nodded and said, "Thanks, Ranger, for you know, staying here and helping me with this."

"No problem," Ranger said getting their tools together and placing them in the box, "It's the least I can do, I did replaced your already decorated windows."

"That you did," Stephanie said with a smile, picking up their dinner mess, "Do you have anywhere to go? Would like some coffee or tea, maybe?"

"I would love a cup of tea, Stephanie," Ranger said, walking over to Heidi's sleeping form and picking up her crayons and her coloring book, "You go make it, and I'll clean up her mess."

They settled on the couch, with Heidi laying in between them, her feet on Ranger's legs and her head resting on Stephanie's thigh. Stephanie ran a hand through Heidi's locks and said, "I like it when she quotes things that a person in boot camp would state, let me guess, you were in the Army."

"I was, I enlisted when I was 16, well, I was force to enlist, my father told me it was enlist or go to juive, I choose to enlist," Ranger said with a chuckle, watching Stephanie's eyes widen, "Yup, I was in the army for about 16 years, I still am, but I don't see combat, I mostly consult now, I'm a Colonel, in a few more years, I'll be a general, the youngest one in history."

"Get out of here," Stephanie said with a gasp, "I should be the one saluting you! Wow, good for you, that must mean you're in a special branch, then."

"I am, I used to lead highly classified missions, I can't speak of them, Stephanie, but, yes, Special Ops, in a branch within the Special Ops."

"Oh, well, then I won't ask anymore then," Stephanie said, sipping her tea, "So, after you ranked up, you got to opt out of those missions?"

"No, I was forced out, they decided to make me a consultant, I only go out to train," Ranger said placing a hand on Heidi's foot, "Which is good, because I have a child to look after."

"So, when you go out to train these men, who watches Heidi?" Stephanie asked, earning a chuckle from Ranger.

"Her grandfather," Ranger said, with a causal shrug, "He spoils her rotten, and when I come back, it takes forever to de-spoil her."

"De-spoil her?" Stephanie asked with a chuckle, "Your father can't be that bad!"

"Not my father, her mother's father," Ranger said with a soft smile, "He loves her to pieces, sometimes, I have to fight Heidi to get her to come home from her grandfather's house."

Stephanie wouldn't ask Ranger what happened to Heidi's mother, but, it's nice to know that Heidi and Ranger have a good relationship with Heidi's grandfather, "Well that's good, wow, you and Heidi have a colorful life."

"What about you, Stephanie?" Ranger asked, sipping his tea, "I'm sure you have a colorful life."

"Oh, please, I'm not colorful, I was born and raised in an area in Trenton called Chambersburg, or the 'Burg. My mom was a house wife and my father worked in a post office. I have an older sister and I went to college. I got married to a piece of shit, got divorce from said piece of shit, had a great lawyer, fyi, if you ever have any legal problem, hire Brittany, she's an excellent lawyer. I got bored, sitting around and working for a failing company and so, I opened my own shop last year, and have never looked back."

Ranger shook his head and said, "Bull, tell me about your parents, I know your mother has it in for you, you told me so."

Stephanie sighed and said, "She thinks that a woman should be happy making a house and popping out babies, She thinks I have a defect and that me being a business woman is ludicrous," leaning back in the couch, "She put in me etiquette classes, cooking classes, sewing classes, things need to be a perfect housewife. I nearly burned down the community center boiling water!"

Ranger chuckled and said, "Well, there's nothing wrong with having problems with cooking, tell you what, if you still want to learn how to cook, I'll teach you, and I'll have you know, this little one loves Cuban, but not as much as Chinese."

"There must be a reason why she likes Chinese food, let me guess, Papi loves it too," Stephanie said, earning a chuckle and a nod from Ranger, "I knew it! You know, children tend to emulate their parents."

"Oh do they?" Ranger asked, looking down at Heidi, who let out a little snort, "Well, I'll have you know, I get up at the crack of dawn, but this one, I you let her, she'll sleep all day long."

"Well, I didn't say all things are emulated, but I think it's cute she has some of your traits," Stephanie said with a giggle, looking down at Heidi, "So, another emulated trait….she's very observant, she must have gotten it from you."

"How can you tell?" Ranger asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at Stephanie who smiled coyly and shrug her shoulders.

"She likes to watch you, Ranger, to gauge your feelings, I've caught her staring at you several times tonight, just watching you move and talk, her actions are the results of your actions. If you're feeling down, she'll try to say something to you to cheer you up, if you're happy, she's happy and doesn't feel the need to make you any happier. If you're mad she tends to be quiet, because she doesn't want to make you angrier. She's extremely observant."

Huh, Ranger hadn't thought about that about Heidi. He looked down at his child and said with a smile, "You're very good at reading people, Stephanie, that's a very good gift to have."

"My father can do the same thing as well," Stephanie said with a smile, crossing her ankles, "He's pretty cool, you know, when I was a kid, he used to encourage me to do anything I want, and so, I wanted to fly, and so, I climbed on the roof of the neighbor's garage and jumped off it, trying to fly. I feel and broke my arm!"

Ranger chuckled and said, "What did your father say?"

"He told me that I should have flapped my arms a little harder, maybe I would have stayed in the air a little longer," Stephanie giggled madly, earning a chuckle from Ranger, "But, I can say this, with a straight face, Daddy has always been there for me, I mean, when he found out that Joe Morelli took my virginity behind the counter of the Tasty Pastry, he found him and beat him black and blue for me."

"Oh no, there will be no boy trying to snatch away my child's virtue, do they still make chastity belts?"

"Ranger!" Stephanie gasped, slapping the man on the chest, a smile on her face, "Come on now, it's not that bad! You have a ways to go before she hits those years, enjoy what you have now, because I'm not going to lie to you, she'll hit 13, and go through changes."

"Oh Dios," Ranger groaned, before he said, "Let's wait for all that, if it were up to me, she'd be four for all of eternity."

"Oh, don't say that, Ranger," Stephanie said softly, leaning forward, "Then you'll be missing the first lost tooth, first grade jitters, Heidi coming home crying because the little boy crushing on her pulled her pig tail, no, growing up is a part of life, but the journey through it all, it makes it worth it."

Ranger gave Stephanie a look and said, "I don't care what your mother says, you'd make a great mother,just because you can't cook, or you don't want to be a housewife means nothing."

Stephanie smiled and said, "Thank you Ranger, oh, your cup is empty, would like a refill?"

"Oh, that would be nice, thank you."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"That's all you did?!" Lula asked, looking at Stephanie, "You just spent time talking to one another?!"

"Yes," Stephanie said, making Lula and Brittany groan in disappointment, "What?!"

"Talk, what happened to macking, I mean, Stephanie, that man is hot and you had alone time with him!" Brittany sighed, looking over to Stephanie, "I mean, if I were you I would have been doing less chatting and more kissing."

"It was nice," Stephanie said with a smile, looking down at her cup of coffee, "And he opened up to me and everything, he told me about his career, some of his childhood, and I told him about the same things too. It was….actually, better than any date I've ever been on before."

"So romantic," Lula sighed, fanning herself, before rounding on Brittany, "Hey! You went out with that fine man, how was he?"

"Oh, Lester, he's nice, went out to a pub for lunch, got kicked out, the works," Brittany said with a shrug, ignoring the looks thrown at her, "We found the prize machine and well, I'm a sucker for prize machines, I won the grand prize and then got kicked out."

"Oh, well, at least you some action from your date," Lula said before she sighed and said, "Hmm, where's Valarie? Is she still tagging inventory?"

"Must be," Stephanie said looking down at her cup of coffee, "So, less than 24 hours before the re-opening party, Lula, are you ready?"

"Girl, I was born ready, the caterers will be here at 10 in the morning, the door buster prizes have been made and the merchandise is tagged and racked," Lula said, leaning back, "We are so ready!"

"Prizes?!" Brittany said, getting up and running over to where Stephanie pointed to, and taking a small 'Peek a Boo,' tote bag, "Oh! Nice! Oh camisole and panties and a 10 dollar off coupon?! I want one!"

"No, you can't!" Stephanie said, making Brittany pout and then sulk back to her seat, "You can buy your panties at full price!"

"And you can buy your legal services at full price too!" Brittany hissed, but buried her head in her arms, "Whatever, I'll go to Nordstorm."

"And buy from the enemy, no way!" Lula said, huffing at Brittany, "Now be quiet and order us some lunch, I'm starving."

"Well, you're right about that, you guys want some Mexican, I could go for a burrito."

"Amen," Lula said, just as the front door opened and in came Grandma Mazur, Stephanie's grandmother, "Uh oh, it's the wild one, Grandma Mazur! How you doing?!"

"Hello Ladies!" Grandma Mazur said, walking over to the three of them, "I just wanted to come by and see my grandbaby," patting Stephanie's cheek, "So, have you thought about my business proposition?"

"Uh….geriatric intimate wear is uh…um," Stephanie said, looking over to Lula and Brittany, her eyes wide, "It's um…."

"It's a radical idea, Grandma Mazur," Brittany said quickly, earning two head nods, "You see, this is the 'Burg, right? Well, they could exile Stephanie for being too damn radical, you know how much strife she gets from her mother, it'll be 200 times worse than what she gets now."

"Well, you are right," Grandma Mazur said, sighing deeply, "Oh, well, thongs that can hold all this loose skin in would be a godsend…."

The three women let out noises of horror, before Stephanie turned to Grandma Mazur saying, "How are things at my parent's house, Grandma?"

"Oh, your mother is still acting like a stick in the mud," Grandma Mazur said, sitting on the last empty stool, "She told me that she couldn't believe her children were working in such a dirty place, and I told her to go find that whiskey of hers and shut up, she's much better when she's not sober."

"That's not nice," Stephanie said, looking at her grandmother, "Valarie's in the back, if you want to see her."

"Nah, I wanna talk about men and sex, who's getting it in?" Grandma Mazur asked, making everyone cringe.

"Well, Stephanie's got a new man, he's a father too, and he's fucking fine!" Lula said with a sigh, "Ranger, mmm, fine as he can be!"

"Oh!" Grandma Mazur said with a smile, "So, did you see his package, I bet it's big…"

"I'm not talking about this with you, Grandma," Stephanie said sliding off the stool, "At least not without nachos and burritos, I'm starving!"

"I hear you, order me that 2 pound burrito with extra beef and chicken," Lula said standing up, "I'll go get us some drinks."

"And I'll sit here and look cute," Brittany said with a smile, leaning back on her stool, "But, I want four beef tacos and four chicken tacos, extra meat on mine too!"

"Now this sounds like meal to me, I'll have what Lula's having," Grandma Mazur said, with a smile.

"Well, she's not going home with me tonight," Stephanie said, grabbing her purse, "They can deal with her gas."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Ranger liked Stephanie Plum, and that was a rarity for him. He never really enjoyed female company before. Women tend to throw themselves on him and only wanted one thing, sex. Sex and money, okay they wanted two things out of him. Stephanie hadn't given out those vibes and she was honestly a good person to talk to. He couldn't believe it, Ranger wanted to hang out, willingly, with a woman!

"Papi, the phone's ringing!" Heidi's voice drifted into his thoughts, "Are you gonna get it?"

Ranger let out a sound and then got up, going over to his cell phone and answering it with a quick, "Yo."

"Mr. Manoso, it's me, Maxim!" Ranger let out a sound shaking his head in wonder.

"How'd you get my number?" Ranger asked the man, earning a chuckle.

"The school's directory," Maxim said making Ranger roll his eyes, "Say, what are you and Heidi doing right now?"

Ranger looked around the house, Heidi was parked in front of the TV, watching a movie, in her PJs. Ranger himself wore a pair of sweats and an old army sweater. Living with a four year old had taught Ranger it was better to throw something on, when you had the chance.

"We're doing nothing," Ranger confessed, earning a hum from Maxim.

"Well, it's almost Halloween, yes? You should come out with Diesel and me to the pumpkin patch and pick out a pumpkin with us, it will be fun for the children," Maxim said, making Ranger thoughtful.

Heidi would like that, she had been begging for a trip to the pumpkin patch for a while now, since she saw that cartoon. Plus, it would be good for them all to get out of the house for the afternoon.

"Alright, we'll go out with you both," Ranger said standing up, "Give me the address to the patch and we'll be there soon."

"It's that little farm on Rt. One, you can't miss it, it'll have a huge sign up," Maxim said with a chuckle, "I'll see you two soon, Ja?"

"Ja," Ranger said, hanging the phone up, "Heidi, let's go get dressed, we're going to the pumpkin patch."

"OH BOY! I want to see the Great Pumpkin!" Heidi said, scrambling to get up, "Let's hurry up, Papi! We might miss him!"

TBC….

* * *

I wonder how this little trip is going to turn out for Ranger? Oh well, we'll see...Please leave a review, they tend to make me write faster...hint...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11, enjoy! This is more Ranger/Heidi centric. Enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1!

Please review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi And Me

Chapter 11

* * *

"You seem to have something heavy on your mind, my friend," Maxim said, watching the two children run through rows of bright orange pumpkins, "Care to share? I am a very good listener!"

Ranger looked over to Maxim and said, "I don't like to share my feelings, can we just enjoy the fall scenery?"

"No we can't, you gave something heavy on your mind and it needs to be talked about, let me guess, it's a woman on your mind." Maxim said, earning a blank look from Ranger, "Yup, I'm right! Oh, she must be something special, ja, to get you all blanked face and everything."

"This is my normal face," Ranger said, earning a round belly laughs from Maxim, "it's not funny."

"Yes it is," Maxim said, slapping Ranger on the back, "You are funny my friend, now, spill, tell me who it is on you mind."

"There's this woman, who hired my security company for her shop," Ranger said with a shrug, looking over to Heidi and the Punk, "She's…she's something else, Maxim."

"Oh, tell me more, I can't look at other women now a days, my wife would skin me alive," Maxim said, with a soft chuckle, as the men walked up and down the pumpkin patch, watching their children closely.

"She's smart, driven, kind, and extremely gentle and sweet, when it comes to Heidi," Ranger said, looking up into the sky, "She would make a great mother, and I enjoy her company but…"

"But…"Maxim said softly, placing a large hand on Ranger's shoulder, "There's a reason why you're single, right?"

"Yes," Ranger said with a sigh, pausing to watch Heidi jump over a pumpkin, "Heidi's mother….she…"

Maxim placed a hand on Ranger's shoulder and said, "It's okay," softly, his eyes soft, "I know what you want to say but can't, I understand why you aren't jumping women's bed."

Ranger nodded his head and said, "Thanks," rubbing his chin, "I don't really like talking about Heidi's mother a lot, it's still an open wound," his hand sliding down to his chest, "It felt really natural for me to tell you this, Maxim, what are you, a wizard?"

"Oh no," Maxim said with a smile, waving his hand, "I'm a Psychologist, I have a practice in Trenton and I teach psychology in the spring at Princeton."

Maxim sobered up and said, in a soft voice, "Look, Ranger, I know you are still going through the motions, but, if you ever need anything, and I mean anything, give me a call, I'll be there for you."

Ranger rubbed his chest and said, "Why are you doing this, Maxim?"

"That's what friends do, Ranger, they look after one another, oh look, the children found the biggest pumpkin in the whole damn patch! Looks like you've got an activity for tomorrow, Ranger!" Maxim chuckled, hearing the children call their names.

Ranger shook his head looking at the pumpkin the children were huddled close to, it was the size of a fucking boulder!

"We aren't taking this one home with us, Bella," Ranger said, watching Heidi's eyes shine with tears, "Oh no, you can't fool me with your tears, it's not going with us, Bella."

"But…it's the Great Pumpkin, Papi…" Heidi whimpered, her bottom lip quivering, making Ranger's resolve shatter like glass hitting the ground, "Please….?"

"Oh, alright, now, let's go, pay for the Great Pumpkin, and go get some kettle corn." Ranger said with a sigh, pinching his nose, "What are we going to do with this pumpkin?"

"We're gonna carve it, Papi!" Diesel said hugging the pumpkin tightly, "And make a scary face!"

"No, a happy face, it's the Great Pumpkin!" Heidi said as Maxim and Ranger lifted the pumpkin up and carried it to the entrance of the patch, "Diesel! It can't be bad, it delivers toys to all the good boys and girls!"

"Oh, well, then, it needs a happy face then!" Diesel said grabbing Heidi's hand, "Come on Heidi let's go play on the hay fort!"

Ranger's eyes widened at the sight of Diesel holding his child's hand. Not his child! Ranger let go of the pumpkin saying, "Now hold on you punk!" going over to the two children, "Stop holding hands!"

"Why'd you let go?!" Maxim exclaimed, the pumpkin slipping from his arms and falling on his foot, "My foot! Son of a bitch! That kind of smarts!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"There's a crowd out there, alright," Lula said to Stephanie as said woman put the final touches on the food laid out for the re-opening of the shop, "It's like the whole female population of the 'Burg is here!"

"Good, that means, they're going to buy things," Stephanie said shooing Mary Alice, Angie and Brittany away from the food, "These are for paying customers, now you three behave and don't cause a ruckus, especially you, Brittany!"

"Aww," Brittany pouted, sitting down beside Mary Alice and Angie, "Your Auntie Steph is no fun…"

"Only when you're in trouble, Brittany," Mary Alice giggle, eating hand cakes she and said lawyer stole from the table.

Stephanie was extremely nervous, almost as nervous when Peek-A-Boo first opened its door. At first she had been scared that no one would come, but Lula, Brittany and even Valarie assured her that people would come. She was the only shop in the area to sell lingerie, desirable lingerie at that too. Brittany urged Stephanie to put ads in the Sunday newspaper and a few ads up around town. It worked apparently, Lula came in one day, saying that a several of her friends would come by the store, Saturday, for the re-opening of Peek-A-Boo.

"There's like 100 people outside, ready to come in, we only made 50 door prizes!" Stephanie moaned, making Lula and Brittany roll their eyes.

"That's all you need, now, I'm going to man the front door," Lula said shaking Stephanie by her shoulders, "You'll man the floor, and Valarie will man the register."

"What will I man?" Brittany asked, standing up, "I can man something!"

"You'll man the children in the back office, now off with you three!" Lula said, her hands on her hips, "And no stealing any more food!"

"Man, this place is full of sticklers," Brittany said, ushering the children into the office, "Come on, let's go play with my tablet, I got kick ass games on it."

"Alright, ladies, the noon time is upon us," Stephanie said , her voice serious, and her eyes looking over to Lula and Valarie, "There are repressed housewives out there and women who need to boost their self-esteem by buying lacy thongs, we are going to sell them and then some, alright? Ladies, this is going to be the busiest Saturday we'll ever have, I hope you are all prepared."

"I was born prepared," Lula said, her voice serious, "Now, let's reopen the shop."

"Okay, Lula, you go unlock the door, and Valarie, take your position, Peek-A-Boo is back in business." Stephanie said with a smile.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"So, Bella, Diesel, what do you want to do today?" Ranger asked the children, as they all ate a breakfast in the kitchen.

"Let's put a face on the Great Pumpkin!" Diesel said, swinging his spoon around, "And then can we go play at the park?"

"And can we get ice cream?" Heidi asked, kicking her feet, "Please Papi?"

"It seems like we have a busy day ahead of us, soldiers," Ranger said, finishing his meal, "So, Diesel, how is your father feeling, I saw that your mother dropped you off, instead of your father."

"Deda broke his foot," Diesel said in an excited hushed whispered, "It's so funny too, cause he has to wear a cast and everything, and he goes around saying bad words and talking about the Great Pumpkin!"

Ranger cringed on the inside, it was his fault that Maxim broke his foot, he did let go of the pumpkin, but damn it, those children, this little punk in front of him, grabbing his child's hand! Hand holding leads to other things and he had to put a stop to it. If anyone were to be blamed it would be Maxim, for siring the punk who was friends with his child.

"Papi," Diesel said, finishing his bowl of cereal, "I'm hungry still, can I have some more?"

"Diesel ,that was your third bowl, and you're still hungry?" Ranger shook his head as Diesel nodded his head, "Okay, one last bowl and that's it."

Diesel smiled and watched as Ranger poured him a bowl of cereal. He frowned and said, "Papi! You gotta fill it all the way to the tippy top, that's what Deda does, he says I have a bottomless pit!"

Didn't Maxim say something about this? Ranger didn't know, he hadn't been paying attention, "Alright, now, you sit right here and eat, I'm going to get Heidi changed and then we'll go outside and crave up the Great Pumpkin."

"'Kay," Diesel said, munching through Cinnamon Life cereal, "Mmm, these are very yummy!"

"Papi," Heidi said, with a hushed whisper, "Diesel can eat a whole bunch of food!"

"He sure can, now, let's find you some warm clothes to wear."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Ranger gave the two children dry erase markers and said, "Alright, Soldiers, it's time for you two to draw on a face for the Great Pumpkin, can you two handle this task?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Diesel and Heidi shouted, giving Ranger clumsy salutes, earning a head nod.

"Good, I like your energy," Ranger said, nodding his head, "Now, Take these markers and draw!"

The children ran over to the pumpkin that sat on the backyard porch and began to make a face. Ranger sat down on an outside chair and watched. Ranger and Heidi lived in a rather large house in a private gated community. He knew for a fact that Diesel and his family lived in the same community, due to the fact that Diesel had arrived in mere minutes. The house sat on a couple acres and was at the end of a cul-da-sac. It was a nice brick house, with 5 bedrooms, six bathrooms and a massive basement. Instead of living on the penthouse that was on top of Rangeman, Ranger moved into a built for him and his child. Heidi wouldn't have enjoyed being cooped up inside all day on the seventh floor, she needed some place to run and a place to grow up in, this home will do just nicely.

"Sir!" Diesel's said, making Ranger looked up, "We've finished drawing the face, sir!"

"Now that's a face," Ranger said, getting up and going over to the pumpkin, which had been doodled upon, "Alright, it's time to clean the inside of the Great Pumpkin."

Heidi and Diesel watched as Ranger cut around the stump of the vine that was on top of the pumpkin and the pull the vine off. The three looked into the pumpkin and they all made noises of disgust.

"I'm not touching this," Ranger said, looking at the two children, "Are you touching it?"

"No way!" Diesel said, making a face, "Bleh, it looks like our cat's vomit!"

"I thought the Great Pumpkin would be filled with presents," Heidi said, poking the pulpy inside, "Not yuck…"

"Well we're going to have to touch it, we didn't come this far to give up, let's get to it, soldiers!" Ranger said rolling up the children's sleeves and then his own sleeves, "Put the pulp on this plastic bag, okay?"

"Kay," the children chirped before they dug their hands into the pulp. Diesel looked over to Heidi and said, "Hey, it's not that bad, it's like that slime we had to make in class once!"

"Yeah!" Heidi said, squishing her fingers around in the pulp, "I like it!"

"Well, I'm glad you two like it," Ranger said scooping out pulp with his fingers, "Come on now, let's hurry up and finish this."

The children worked in silence, giggling about the squishy pulp and about how funny Ranger looked, arm deep in pumpkin pulp. Why did they have to pick the biggest pumpkin? How in the hell was Ranger going to get this monster to the front porch of the house?!

A shriek had Ranger looking up from the pulp to see Heidi had a face full of pulp. Diesel's eyes were wide and he said, "Oops, I'm sorry, Heidi!"

Heidi looked over to Diesel and shrieked, "This means war!" tossing a handful of pulp at the boy, hitting him in the face.

"No this does not mean war, soldiers!" Ranger shouted as the two children began to throw pulp at one another, "Stand down, soldiers!"

"A soldier never stands down in a time of war!" Heidi shouted scooping out more pulp, "Fire torpedos!"

"No, no, no,no!" Ranger shouted as the pulp went flying across the porch, "Not the furniture!"

"FIRE!" Diesel boomed aiming at Heidi but slipping back on a puddle of pumpkin pulp and hitting Ranger in the face with pumpkin pulp, "Ha! I got you Papi!"

"Aim for Papi!" Heidi shouted making Ranger groan and roll his eyes as the children hit him with pumpkin pulp.

"Why do I even try?" Ranger asked as the children rubbed pulp in hair, "Oh, this means war, you heathens!"

Heidi and Diesel screamed and ran off as Ranger grabbed two fist full of pumpkin pulp and ran after them.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Well, at least the pumpkin has been gutted out," Ranger mused to himself as he hosed off the porch, "And now the children are in the bath getting cleaned, they'll be fine for a few minutes."

"PAPI!" Diesel's voice boomed from the downstairs bathroom, "PAPI!"

Ranger dropped the water hose and ran over to the bathroom, where Diesel and Heidi sat in. Heidi was crying and Diesel was pointing to her with horror, "What's wrong, Diesel! Bella, why are you crying?!"

"Heidi doesn't have a pee-pee!" Diesel said, his eyes wide with horror, "She's broken!"

"I don't wanna die!" Heidi wailed, making Ranger pinch his nose and shake his head. Oh no, he was not having this talk.

"Bella," Ranger said, helping Heidi out the tub, "You don't have a pee-pee, because you weren't born with one…you need to be born with one, Diesel has one because he was born with it, you don't have one because you weren't meant to have one, you're not going to die because you don't have a pee-pee."

Dios, pee-pee?! Ranger couldn't believe it, here he was, a mercenary, talking about pee-pees! If hadn't felt like a father before, he did now.

"Oh…." Heidi said, rubbing her eyes, and looking over to Diesel, "Well, I guess that's alright, Diesel has enough pee-pee for the both of us! He said I could share his with him!"

Dios! Ranger wrapped his child up in a towel and said, "There's no need for that, you don't need it. Now, Diesel, you stay in the bathtub, I'm going to dry Heidi off and get her dressed, you stay right there, alright?"

"Kay," Diesel said, splashing water around in the tub.

Ranger raced Heidi out the bathroom, up the stairs and into her room, where he dried her down, threw some lotion on her skin and put her in a pair of jeans, socks a t-shirt and a sweater. He then ran down the stairs to the bathroom and let out a sound, seeing an empty tub and a missing Diesel. Now where'd that boy go to?

"Papi! Come look it!" Heidi's voice drifted into the bathroom, "Come and look!"

Ranger walked out the bathroom and into the living room and groaned, seeing Diesel , naked and covered in suds, peeing in the potted plant that was in the living room. Ranger shook his head and asked, "Why didn't you use the toilet, it was right next to the bathtub?"

"No, I'm watering the plants, Papi!" Diesel said, his voice serious.

"Dios," Ranger sighed, sitting down in a chair, covering his face, "I'm done, who else is done?"

"Are we going out now, Papi?" Heidi asked, earning a head nod, "Diesel! You need to dry off and get dressed, we're going out!"

TBC….

* * *

Poor Ranger! Dealing with the both of them at once, by himself?! I wonder where they're going to? Hmm...Please leave a review, When I get a bunch of them, I tend to write hella fast...hint...smell ya later!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12, enjoy! I meant to post this earlier, but, these allergies are killing me!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1!

Please Review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi And Me

Chapter 12

* * *

"Stephanie, this place looks wonderful!" Mary Lou said, hugging Stephanie and holding a large bag, "The stuff you carry is way better than Victoria Secret, I'm coming here all the time now!"

"Thanks, Mar," Stephanie said, letting go of Mary Lou and looking in the crowded shop, "Goodness, it's like the whole 'Burg is here, I don't think I have enough stock for today!"

"That's a good thing," Mary Lou said, looking in her bag, "I got brand new panties and bras and a corset, Lenny is going to love the corset!"

"I hope he does," Stephanie said with a wink, "I designed it myself, instead of the usual wires, my lingerie maker uses a poly type material that's springy and strong like metal. It's cheaper and it's better for the corset."

Mary Lou smiled and said, "You're like the innovator of panties, keep up the good work! I have to go, I left Lenny with the boys, and you know how they can get."

"Oh yeah, they'll be eating candy and junk food and bouncing off the walls," Stephanie giggled as Mary Lou walked away, "Come back soon."

"Stephanie, ain't this place a pip!" Grandma Mazur said, walking over to Stephanie, holding the arm of a 90 year old man, who looked as though a good gust of air would kill him, "Henry and I came here so I could buy a corset for our night on the town!"

Stephanie cringed and then ran a hand over her face. She didn't want to know, "Well, make sure Val give you a discount, you know, family and all."

"well ain't that a pip!" Grandma Mazur said with a smile, turning to Henry, "Well, then we'll get seven corsets! One for each day of the week! I know you'd love that!"

Grandma Mazur turned to Stephanie and said, "I saw that stuffy old Francis Dodwin in here, buying a bra and panty set, and she's the one who condemns you for wearing skirts above the knee! And I saw many of the women from the housewife club and I even saw that conservative Penny as well, buying your lingerie! A bunch of hypocrites, is what I say, well, Grandbaby, I'm off, I got some things to do, I gotta get a Brazilian wax, I like it bare down there."

Stephanie let out a gag, as Grandma Mazur walked away. Gross! She really didn't want to know that now! How in the hell can she get rid of that image now! Who in the hell would actually do that for Grandma Mazur?! Yuck! She was in need of a major brain wash!

"MISS STEPHANIE!" a child's voice boomed over the din of the crowded shop, "MISS. STEPHANIE!"

Stephanie yelped as Heidi ran over to her and hugged her legs tightly. She then yelped again as another small body hugged her legs as well. Stephanie looked down at the new small body and smiled at the two children.

"Let me guess, you're Thaddeus," Stephanie said earning a head no from the blond boy, "You are too cute! Now, where is Papi?"

"Right here," Ranger said, walking up to Stephanie and the two four year olds, "Now, Heidi, what do I keep telling you?"

"I forget, tell me again!" Heidi said with a smile, looking over to her father, "What is it, Papi?!"

"Don't run off without me," Ranger said, shaking his head and looking up at Stephanie, "You have a full house, today."

"I know," Stephanie said, running her hands over the children's head, "Oh…."

Ranger went blanked face as Stephanie leaned forward and pulled out a pumpkin seed from his hair, "You had a seed in your hair, how did it…."

"I don't want to talk about it," Ranger said shaking his head and looking at the two children, "We were just out and about and then I remembered that today would be the re-opening of your store and I thought that maybe you would like some reinforcements."

"We're here to help with the battle!" Heidi said, saluting Stephanie.

"We're here to help take down the enemy!" Diesel said saluting as well before he asked, "Miss. Stephanie, Heidi told me you sell undies, do you sell undies for boys too, cause I like Batman undies!"

Stephanie gave Diesel and Heidi a gasp and then said, "You're right, Thaddeus, I need to star selling underwear with Batman on them. Heidi I made an order for Hello Kitty undies, so they'll be on sale next week, now, I need to place an order for Batman undies."

"Thank you, Miss. Stephanie," Diesel said, hugging Stephanie's leg, "We're gonna go get some ice cream! Would you like some?!"

"Oh, Ice cream does sound yummy, and I haven't been able to sit down for a while now," Stephanie said, looking thoughtful, "I would love to get some ice cream with you, but, the store doesn't close for another hour, it closes at 5, it's only four, so we have 60 minutes before I can get ice cream."

"But then it will be dinner time!" Diesel said, looking over to Ranger, "Papi, can we go get dinner instead of ice cream, that way, Miss. Stephanie can come out with us?"

"Well, it won't just be me, there's Lula and Valarie and Brittany's in the back with her new friend Lester and then there's my nieces, Mary Alice and Angie, Mary Alice is six, and Angie is 8, do you want to go play with them, while we wait for five?"

"Yeah!" Heidi exclaimed, "We never played with big kids before! I wanna go play with them!"

Stephanie pointed them off to the back and then two were off, with the intent to terrorize new people. Ranger chuckled and said, "Where are we going to go with four children, and five adults?"

"I don't know, anyplace where they'll put up with a big group of children," Stephanie said with a shrug, "That's a good idea though, I'm starving and the children in the back stole the rest of the snacks the caterers left."

"Now we can't have that, well I know of a nice place where we can all go, Heidi just loves going to it, and I'm sure your nieces will too," Ranger said with a smile, "Plus, they have good food."

"Thanks," Stephanie said, before she leaned back and said, "It's good to see you again, Ranger, I hope you haven't been having too much problems with Thaddeus, after all, he is the little Punk, right?"

"Right," Ranger said with a sigh, rubbing his eyes, "Thaddeus's father and I bought those two terrors a pumpkin the other day, and out of the whole patch, they find the mutant one, all the way in the back, it weighed 300 pounds. Well, Maxim, lost his grip on the pumpkin, and it fell on his foot and broke it. Then the children and I today were carving it out to make the Great Pumpkin, and those two start a war throwing pulp all over the place."

Ranger shook his head and said, "And then I bathe them and Thaddeus deiced to water my plants by peeing in them! Why did he bypass the toilet to pee in my ferns?"

Stephanie giggled at Ranger and then she said, "Did you hear yourself, Ranger, you let Heidi and Thaddeus bathe together….see, it must not be so bad now, since-"

"DIOS!" Ranger hissed, realization hitting him in the chest, "I did let those two bathe together, oh my god, I helped them skip kissing all the way to bathing together!"

"It's not that bad," Stephanie said, with amusement, watching Ranger pace, "Ranger…Ranger….RANGER!"

Ranger paused in his frantic pace to look at Stephanie, who shook her head and said, "Now, you stop it, Mister. They are 4 and 4, respectively, they are not even kissing, I bet it hasn't crossed Thaddeus's mind. Calm down, nothing is going to happen…yet."

"Yet?" Ranger echoed, the look of panic back on his face, "Why did you say yet?!"

"Oh boy," Stephanie said, shaking her head, "Yeah, why did I say yes?"

Stephanie felt the shop get quiet, that's right, she felt it, more than she heard. It had her wondering why a bunch of excited women near sexy, lacy bras had gone quiet and then she saw who had made the store quiet. Great, just who she didn't want to see….

Her mother….

"Oh, looks like she's here for you," Ranger said, getting out the way as Helen Plum forced her way over to the two, "Looks like she's out for blood too."

"Yeah, my blood," Stephanie muttered as Helen stopped right in front of her, her eyes a blaze, "Hello Mo-"

"Don't you dare 'hello Mother,' me," Helen hissed as, looking down at Stephanie, "Do you know what I heard, I heard that my grandchildren are in this place of ill repute! I don't think this place is an ideal place for them to be hanging around in! They'll get ideas!"

"Ideas of what?" Stephanie asked, looking at her mother and crossing her arms, "That if they wear panties they'll go out and ride in cars with bad boys?! Please, I highly doubt a thong is going to influence them enough to do that! Now, I'm going to have to ask you to leave, if you're not here to make a purchase."

Helen threw her hands up and said, "Not without the girls, their mother has been influenced by your lewd thoughts and I for one will see to it that they aren't influenced by you!"

Stephanie could not believe the nerve of this woman in front of her! Blaming her, instead of praising her for being successful and thinking about her sister. Stephanie was now glad she got Val and the girls out of her parent's house. Val would have been stuck in some factory job, while the girls were surrounded by their grandmother's constant disapproval and negativity. They would have more sullen and depressed and probably in a cooking class, if Helen had her way.

"The girls are thriving in their school, and they love their Aunt Stephanie," Valarie said walking over to Helen, "Mother, I'm glad that I'm not with Steve, he left me for the baby sitter and he left me a nasty surprise! I'm glad Stephanie's lawyer got the bastard in jail and I'm grateful for my sister to give me this job, I love it, I love working with people and I love the people I'm working with, you're not taking my girls with you, just because you think this place isn't 'Burg enough for you. Look around you mother, Half the 'Burg is here!"

Helen wasn't taking she opened her mouth to say thing but someone was screaming before her.

"DON'T YOU YELL AT MISS. STEPHANIE YOU BAD WOMAN!" Diesel shouted running over to Helen, with a cup of water, "I'll save you from the witch, Miss. Stephanie!"

"Oh dear," Ranger said, watching Diesel toss the contents of the cup on Helen who shrieked in shock, "Diesel ,I think it's time for you to go back to the office, son."

"The witch's not dying, Diesel!" Heidi said looking serious, "We need to burn her, like they did in that movie!"

"What movie?!" Ranger asked, whipping his head over to Heidi, "Front and center, soldier!"

"The movie Uncle Lester let me see…." Heidi said, looking down, "I think it was called the Crucible, or something…."

"I'm going to get that man," Ranger muttered earning a smile from Heidi.

"He's in the back right now, he's with Miss. Brittany, she's his girlfriend!" Heidi said, earning a giggle from Diesel.

"You let these heathens around my grandchildren?!" Helen shouted to Stephanie who began to puff up, "They're filling their poor heads up with these awful ideas and-"

"You can go after me, but you can't go after two four year old children," Stephanie said, standing up taller and glaring at her mother, "How dare you, you don't even know these children! And for you to call them heathens is even worse! You need to leave my property or my security firm will see to it that you are forcibly ejected from here!"

Ranger took this as his cue to make a noise to Stephanie's mother. He stood to his full height, put on his best badass look and said, in a low voice, "I think it's time for you leave ma'am, you heard the lady…"

Helen Plum gave Ranger an angry glare and muttered, "Now she has thugs around my grandchildren, why I never!" marching away from the group and out the shop.

Ranger can proudly say that he still had his hard shell. Fatherhood hadn't ruined it that much.

"Wow, Papi, that was scary," Heidi said, hugging her father, "Maybe we can scare the Great Pumpkin in giving us presents!"

"Bella…." Ranger said picking up Heidi and then looking over to Diesel, "Diesel, that wasn't very nice, you need to apologize to Stephanie."

Diesel kicked at the ground and said, turning to Stephanie, "'M sorry, Miss. Stephanie, but I had to save you from the witch, she would have turned you into a frog!"

"I wasn't too worried," Stephanie said, crouching down and hugging Diesel, "I had a brave young man come and save me, thank you, Diesel!"

Diesel puffed his chest up with pride and then looked over to Ranger saying, "I'm brave, see! Can I marry Heidi now?"

"NO!" Ranger said, hugging his daughter close to him, "I don't think so…."

"'Sides, Diesel, I'm marrying Papi, because I love him and want to be with him forever!" Heidi said with a smile.

Stephanie giggled and said, "Aw, well, Heidi, I don't think any woman can compete with you for your father's heart, you've had it since birth."

Ranger felt a smile form on his face as Stephanie leaned forward and kissed Heidi on the nose. Oh yes, this is the perfect woman to let Heidi around. She was indeed a diamond in the rough. Plus, Diesel likes her and from what Maxim rambled to him, Diesel can sniff out good women.

Let's face it, Diesel latched onto his daughter and Heidi's the best of the best,in Ranger's opinion.

"So, an hour you say?" Ranger said with a chuckle, looking over to Stephanie, "Well, that hour's almost up, I'll go round up the herd in the back, while you begin to shut the shop down, and Stephanie, dinner's on me, you better not fight me on this one."

"Oh I won't, That;s one thing that I don't mind other people paying for," Stephanie said as Ranger led Heidi and Diesel back to the office, "Though, the place you're taking us better be good!"

"Oh, it is, I hope you like rodents," Ranger said with a chuckle, "Come on, children, let's go round up the herd."

TBC….

* * *

Stephanie tells her mother off, gets into Diesel's good books and it seems she having an effect on our single father! Oh boy, it's starting to get good! Or, is it?... Please leave a review, they tend to make me write faster...hint, hint...


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13, Enjoy!

Warning: Sadness at the end ;x;

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please Review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi And Me

Chapter 13

* * *

"Aw hell," Brittany said, climbing out her car, "Aw hell to the no, not this place!"

"What's wrong with this place?" Stephanie asked, turning to her lawyer, who was walking back to her car, "Come on Brittany! You know they have prize machines in this place!"

"No, they're not worth it, they are not worth it," Brittany said, trying to climb in her car, but Lester stopped her.

"Damn girl," Lula said with a shrug, looking over to Brittany, who was arguing with Lester, "It's just Chuck E. Cheese, you act like it's the end of the world."

"Oh yeah, well, you get bit by a mouse with rabies and get five shots in your stomach and then get a tetanus shot as well," Brittany said crossing her arms and glaring at the neon banner on the building, "You'll wish that this overgrown rat to hell and back again if you had to get all those shots!"

"Look, I'm here, I won't let the bad mouse get you," Lester said, resting a hand on Brittany's shoulder, "We need to get going, the children are about to cause a riot to get in the place."

Saturday night and the local Chuck E. Cheese was packed with families and small children. Stephanie had to take a step back as the flashing lights from the arcade games hit her eyes. Jeez, how do parents not get a headache from this place? She couldn't believe that Ranger choose this place to take them out to dinner, she was expecting a nice little sit down restaurant, not Chuck E. Cheese.

The group found several tables and pushed them together and got the children situated. Ranger took everyone's order of pizza, wings, cookies and his own salad and took it up to the front with Stephanie, while Brittany and Lester went to get tokens.

"Chuck E. Cheese?" Stephanie asked, leaning against the counter, as the cashier took their order, "Really?"

"Really," Ranger said, turning to Stephanie, a smile on his face, "Heidi and I go here all the time, she loves it here and when her uncles tag along it's even better."

"Oh, well, that's nice and all, but I was expecting something a little more….adult, I don't know," Stephanie said with a shrug, "But, the children like it and that's all that matters."

"Is your mother like that all the time?" Ranger asked Stephanie, earning a head nod, "Really? How'd you survive that woman's insanity?"

"I'll let you know when I find out," Stephanie said with a shrug, looking over to their area, "I used to think I had it bad with out mother, but now I'm thinking Valarie had it worse than me."

"Why do you think that?" Ranger asked, handing cups to Stephanie, "I think if your mother pin pointed you out in a crowded place to be little you, you might just have it rough."

"Yeah, but after a while she gives up yelling at me and then goes to tend to the perfect child," Stephanie said looking back to Ranger, "So, if Valarie stumbles or messes up, it's worse for her, because our mom has higher expectation from her. I remember she had to cook dinners Thursday night and if she burnt it, she had to stay inside during the weekend. That was when she was 10, yeah, she did have it rougher than me, and now that she's officially divorce, it's like she's fallen from the top of the ladder that our mom put her on top of and she can never climb back up it."

"Does she want to climb back up it?" Ranger asked Stephanie, who shook her head, "Well that's a good thing then."

"It is," Stephanie said with a smile, looking over to Ranger, "We talk, at night, when the girls are asleep. She's glad to be free from our mother's grip, it's like she's living life all over again, but without a cloud of expectations and shame."

"Well that's good," Ranger said, leading Stephanie back to their table, "I'm really glad to hear that she's liberated from your mother."

"Me too, it's like we're sisters all over again," Stephanie said as they made it back to the table, "Okay, children, Let's get you situated before you run off and we lose you in the play place."

"Which is probably full of germs and the like," Brittany hissed, taking out a sliver flask and drinking from it, "Children, come to me, if you fall and hurt yourselves, I'll the shit out this giant rat."

"You're not drinking enough," Lester said as Brittany took another sip from her flask, "Stop scaring the children."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie could admit, this night was one of the best nights she had in a while. She had two four year olds attached to her hip and a cup full of tokens. She and Ranger had a skee ball competition, when she boasted that she could beat anyone in the game. It turns out that Ranger was much better than her when it came to skee ball. Brittany, Stephanie had noticed, had gotten over her animosity over the place, and was now dragging Lester and Diesel over to the prize machine she had seen hiding in a corner. It must have been all the alcohol she had drank from her flask. It wad just a fun night of pizza and games. Stephanie had to make a mental note about bringing the girls here.

"Miss. Stephanie!" Sammy said, tugging on Stephanie's pants, "Look a photo booth! Let's take a picture with Papi, please?!"

"That sounds like a good idea," Ranger said, grabbing Stephanie's hand and leading her over to the booth covered in cartoons, "Come on, Stephanie."

Stephanie pretended that the fast beating of her heart was due to all the noises and games, and not because of the fact that Ranger had a firm grip on her hand. Ranger and Stephanie climbed into the booth with Heidi on each of their knee. They let the child pick out the theme and color scheme of the photo and then Heidi said, "Now smile!"

The first photo was a funny pic with Heidi and Stephanie making bunny ears over Ranger's head. The second pic had them all making funny faces, well except for Ranger, he kind of had a small smile on his face. The last photo had Stephanie and Ranger kissing one of Heidi's cheeks.

"These look so cute," Stephanie said with a smile, as the photo booth printed out two pictures, "Aww, look at your Papi, Heidi, he's so serious looking with two rabbit ears on his head."

Stephanie made to give both pictures to Ranger but Ranger stopped her and said, "No, you keep one as well, to remember Chuck E. Cheese before we get banned from this store."

"Why would we get banned from this store?" Stephanie asked but yelped as Brittany ran past them, with an armful of tickets.

"I won 15,000 tickets!" Brittany squealed, before running away, "I love this place!"

Stephanie turned and yelped, seeing Diesel in front of the potted plant that sat in a corner, peeing in it, "Oh my god, we need to stop him!"

"Oh yeah…." Ranger said with a chuckle, walking over to the boy, "Come on, Diesel, let's not scare the children."

"Watering the plants!" Diesel said with a smile, looking up at Ranger, "This plant needs lots of water!"

"It's plastic….."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"This one is drunk as a skunk," Lester said, lifting Brittany in his arms, "I'll get her home safely, see you all later!"

"I would have punched that giant rat again," Brittany slurred, glaring blearily at the group, gripping the I-Pad she won from the prize machine, "But, there were three of hims and one of me…"

"Have a good night!" Stephanie said as Lester carried Brittany to her car, "Well, guess we'll be going to the Chuck. E. Cheese in Newark now."

Stephanie shifted Heidi in her arms and gave Valarie the keys to the car. Stephanie had relented and bought another car, a four door used Subaru. It was mostly used by Valarie and the girls, while Stephanie drove her small car, most of the time.

"Here, get the girls settled in and I'll help Ranger with double trouble here." Stephanie said, motioning to the sleeping children, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Thanks," Ranger said, opening the Cayenne and putting Diesel in his seat and buckling him up, "Well, let me get this one home to his parents."

"They're even cuter when they're not causing mayhem and are fast asleep," Stephanie said, buckling Heidi up In her own seat, "This was a fun night, Ranger, thank you for taking us out."

"No problem, Stephanie," Ranger said closing the door and then following Stephanie over to the Subaru, "Have a safe ride back."

"Thanks," Stephanie said with a smile, "You too!"

There was a moment of silence and then Stephanie said, "Maybe we could go back out again, that would great, right?"

Ranger nodded his head and said, "That does sound like a good idea," leaning back and giving Stephanie a smile, "You know, though, maybe it can just be the three of us, Me, you and Heidi."

Stephanie smiled and said, "I would enjoy that, Ranger, maybe, next week or so, depending on our schedules."

"Sounds like a wonderful idea, I'll keep in touch with you," Ranger said, tipping his head over to Stephanie, "Have a good night, Stephanie."

Stephanie let out a sigh and climbed into the car beside her sister, who gave her a look. Stephanie turned to Valarie and said, "I have a date with Heidi and Ranger!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"So, you have a date with this woman who has you all blanked face," Maxim said, looking over to Ranger and then back to the children, "Good, but, something is heavy on your mind, Ranger, I can tell."

Ranger sighed and asked, "Why do I like you?" looking over to Maxim who shrugged and chuckled lightly.

"You like me because I tell you the truth," Maxim said, drinking his coffee, "And plus, I don't let you sit and stew it over. Talk to me, Ranger, you called me for a reason, other than to tell me you're about to date for the first time in several years."

Ranger ran a hand over his face and then said, "I was thinking about…Heidi's mother, the other night, and…."

Ranger sighed and said, "I was never really able to close that chapter of my life and I want to, but…I can't."

Maxim nodded his head and said, "This is the first part of any closure," picking up the leather satchel beside the chair he sat in and took out a notepad and a pen, "We're going to do this in parts, Ja. One big session and it'll hurt you. Can you….can you tell me about her mother?"

"She's dead," Ranger said softly, leaning back in his seat, and looking over to Maxim, "Heidi's mother died five years ago."

Ranger shook his head and then he said, "We were out and about, we had gone on vacation, to Europe, she loved Europe and she wanted to go to France, so I took her to France. In our line of work, we had made so many enemies, and they were always everywhere. We had been sitting at a café, enjoying ourselves when…"

Ranger was grateful for Maxim or not asking him to continue as he took a long pause. He could feel his chest tightening and his eyes burn with tears.

"This man, this extremist came up to us and blamed us for the death of his family," Ranger said softly, tears dropping down his cheek, "And before we could take our weapons out to protect ourselves, he had taken out a gun and shot Heidi's mother in the chest. It was like slow motion, watching her fall to the ground, her eyes wide with horror."

Ranger let out a weak sob and said, "He ran off, her killer ran away, and I was going to run after him, but she was dying."

Ranger covered his face and said, "She died before the ambulance got to us, in my arms, holding my hand, she looked so peaceful…like as though she had just gone to sleep, instead of just being murdered."

Maxim placed a hand on Ranger's shoulder as he sobbed into his hands. He shooed Heidi and Diesel into Diesel's playroom and told the children to stay in there. Maxim turned to Ranger and said, "It's alright to cry, Ranger, it's been five long years, since Heidi's mother died. I do have a question for you; have you visit her grave or memorial?"

Ranger shook his head and said, "No, she's buried at her family cemetery, I…I haven't been able to go there, not the sense that her father is keeping me from seeing her plot, in fact he's been begging me to go see her grave. To find some closure for me and for Heidi."

Maxim nodded his head and said, "That's all you need to tell me, Ranger, we can speak later, this is pretty emotional. In all honesty, I do not understand what you are dealing with, but for five years you've bottled it up and you have been trying to live your life. You can't do it, Ranger, you're trying, but you can't shut this up, seal it tightly and hope it doesn't leak, it's time for you to close that part of your life and I'll help you along the way."

Ranger nodded his head and asked, "So what happens now?" making Maxim write down something.

"You call Heidi's grandfather, and arrange for both you _and_ Heidi to go see her mother, you need to face your demons, Ranger, to finally move on," Maxim said looking into Ranger's eyes, "It's going to be hell, but this hell is needed."

TBC…..

* * *

Well, now know what happened to Heidi's mother. Poor Ranger...D: At least he knows that he needs to face this all in order to move on. Please leave a review, they tend to make me write faster...hint...hint...


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14, Enjoy. Some of you pointed out that Heidi's mother has been dead for 5 years but Heidi's 4, you need to read this chapter mkay, it's not a mistake!

Wanring: Ranger centric, some sadness...

Disclaimer in chapter 1!

Please Review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 14

* * *

"So, Cupcake, how are things going on in your shop?" Joe asked Stephanie, trailing after her and Grandma Mazur, "I was told, last Saturday that it was pretty pack and everything flew of the racks."

Grandma Mazur elbowed Stephanie in her rib and said, "Is he for real? I heard from Val and Lula that you have a man with a kid chasing after you, and he's hotter than Morelli too!"

Stephanie turned to Joe and sighed saying, "Can you like, buzz off? My grandmother and I would like to shop in peace."

Grandma Mazur had called Stephanie and asked if she could take her around town to get some things today. Apparently Stephanie's mother was still bemoaning the fact that her daughters had gone to the dark side and so she didn't want to show her face in public. Typical Helen Plum, over dramatic housewife. They were now in the grocery store, getting Grandma Mazur's prune juice and whipped cream ("For Henry and I, We want to be wild tonight!) Joe had spotted Stephanie and her grandmother and then began to follow them both. Ugh….

"So, what are you doing later on today, Cupcake?" Joe asked as Stephanie as the two women made their way to the checkout line, "I was thinking, maybe you could join me for lunch at Pino'S."

"Well, that sounds like a good idea!" Grandma Mazur said quickly, looking over to Joe, a smile on her face, "You can take us both to Pino's all this shopping has made me hungry!"

"But I-" Joe started but Stephanie smiled and said, "Well,that sounds like a good Idea, Grandma Mazur," turning to Joe, "You can take us both out to Lunch, well, let's go, we need some food in our stomachs, let's go Joe, we require a lot of food!"

Joe grumbled darkly and then said, "Fine, take care of your groceries and then we'll head off."

Stephanie giggled and took out her phone as it went off. She smiled at the screen which displayed Ranger's name and then answered with a quick, "Hey Ranger."

"Stephanie, how are you doing?" Ranger asked, making Stephanie smile, "I hope you're not busy this Monday morning."

"Oh no, the shop is closed today, I'm just out and about with Grandma Mazur, so, what's up?" Stephanie asked, Ranger, placing a few of her groceries on the checkout belt.

"I won't be around this week, Heidi and I have things to do out of town," Ranger said softly, making Stephanie's heart deflate, "So, how about the week after this one, to go out with Heidi."

"Oh, that sounds like a good idea," Stephanie said looking over to Joe and Grandma Mazur, "You two travel safely, alright?"

"We will," Ranger said with a chuckle, before he said to Stephanie, "Hey, you take it easy this week, don't let your mother bring you or your sister down."

"Oh, it's not her I have to deal with," Stephanie muttered before she said goodbye to Ranger and hung up the phone, "Well, let's hurry up, I could use an extra-large pizza with the works on it."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"It's about damn time you brought your stupid ass here," A man's voice said over the phone, "I've been inviting you to the house or the last 5 years."

Ranger let out a sound, packing up Heidi's suitcase for the long trip that they were going to take, "I know, Mr. Manns, I've been running away from this for too long, I…"

"Hey now, son, I understand," Mr. Manns said his voice soft, "No to explain anything to me, just keep talking to that quack of yours, he sounds like a fine fellow."

"Yeah, he is," Ranger said zipping up Heidi's suitcase and then making his way out the room and into her bathroom to collect her things, "I confused him about Heidi's age and about her mother's death."

"Did you tell him that my daughter's coworker carried Heidi, instead of Heidi's real mother?" Mr. Manns asked earning a chuckle.

"Yeah, he seemed shocked when I told him," Ranger said, sitting on Heidi's bed and looking down at the pink dress he held in his hands, "I also told him that Heidi's birth was also saved my life. I told him how I spent the year before Heidi's birth, looking for revenge and when I found her mother's killer and took justice, I nearly killed myself."

"So glad that Tank found you before you pulled the trigger," Mr. Manns said with a sigh, and then he said, "And I'm glad you bonded to your child."

"I know, speaking of child," Ranger said standing up, "I have to go and pick her up from school, I'll call you when we're close to your place."

"See you soon," Mr. Manns said before hanging up on Ranger.

Ranger let out a sigh and put his phone down to finish packing. He paused to pick up the blue sweater that Heidi tossed on the floor this morning. Ranger could remember Heidi as an infant, wailing and squirming in a pale cream colored blanket. He hadn't known what to do with her, Tank had dragged him to a private hospital, and into a single room where Heidi's mother coworker lay in a bed, holding a baby in her arms. She told Ranger that the baby was his daughter and that Mr. Manns and everyone around him hadn't known how to save him, they didn't want him to lose his life and so they created a life to save it. They had used the eggs Heidi's mother had frozen and they had also used the sperm Ranger had placed in store. Ranger had wanted to reject Heidi, he had desired so much to die, so he could be with the one he lost so cruelly, but Tank had placed the infant in his arms and told him to look at her. Ranger had done what Tank told him to do and had fallen in love with the tiny being in his arms. She had her mother's eyes, those pretty amber eyes and as she grew, she had obtained nearly every facial feature of her mother, Heidi had even obtained her mother's skin coloring.

The paternal instincts in him had reared up quickly and Ranger knew that he had to take care of this child, his child. He had to protect the last part of what he had loved so much. He even went as far as to name Heidi after her mother. Heidi The Second, but, they usually didn't add the second when talking about the child. He had changed his ways, threw himself into building a future for his child and he never looked back at what happened to Heidi's mother. Sometimes he did, but he didn't dwell quickly, he couldn't dwell on it, he had a daughter to raise. Now, to open the door he could see, he had to turn back and close a door he left wide open.

Ranger placed the sweater on the bed, grabbed Heidi's suitcase and then went to pack the Cayenne, they had a long trip ahead of them.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Papi, where are we going?" Heidi asked as Ranger walked her through the airport to the private jet, "I got school tomorrow, I won't be able to go to school, if I get on a plane!"

"You won't be going to school, this week, Bella," Ranger said as they neared the jet, "We're going to see Grandpa Manns."

"Oh boy!" Heidi squealed, grabbing Ranger's hand, "I can't wait to see Grandpa Manns! He lives in….in…England! Why are we going to see Grandpa Manns?"

"There's someone at his house we need to see," Ranger said, picking Heidi up and carrying her to the jet, "I'll tell you who it is, once we get settled on the Jet."

"'Kay," Heidi said with a smile, resting her head on Ranger's shoulder as he climbed on the jet, "I like seeing Grandpa Manns."

"I know you do," Ranger said sitting Heidi by the window and buckling her in, "This is my first time going to Grandpa Manns house, you know."

"Why is that?" Heidi asked, as Ranger sat down beside her, buckling himself in.

"I uh…the person we're going to see is there," Ranger said as the plane began to taxi down the runway, "I haven't seen this person in years and now I'm going to see them."

"No one lives with Grandpa Manns," Heidi said blinking up at Ranger, "No one but the butler!"

"Oh, there is someone who is there," Ranger said as the plane took off, "Someone I really loved."

Heidi leaned forward as Ranger pulled out a battered black box the size of a shoebox. Ranger pulled the top off and took out a small photo of her father and a woman. They were smiling and holding one another. Heidi pointed down to the woman in the picture and asked, "Papi, who is this woman with you?"

"That's your mommy, Heidi," Ranger said softly, looking over to Heidi, whose eyes widened with wonder, "Her name was Heidi too, this is who we're going to meet."

"I've never seen her at Grandpa's house before," Heidi said, looking up at Ranger, "Why?"

"Your mommy is sleeping," Ranger said, running a hand over Heidi's head, "That's why she can't see you."

"Are we going to wake her up?!" Heidi asked, excited, looking over to Ranger who shook his head, "….why not, Papi?"

"She's sleeping in a place where we can't reach her," Ranger said, his heart clenching at the tears in Heidi's eyes, "But we can see her, because she's sleeping at Grandpa's house."

"I want to wake her up though, Papi, I want to see my Mommy!" Heidi said sadly, "Why does Mommy have to be asleep?"

"I'm sorry, Bella," Ranger said, lifting Heidi up and holding him in his arms, "I'm so sorry that you can't see your Mommy."

Ranger lifted the box up and placed it on Heidi's lap saying, "Come on now, Bella, let's look in the box, I'll tell you everything about your Mommy."

Heidi looked in the box and took out a folded up note. She unfolded it and looked down at it asking, "What's this, Papi?"

"It's a love note I wrote to your Mommy," Ranger said with a smile, looking at the hearts and lowers he drew on it, "I wrote this years ago or your Mommy, Dios, I sound like a love struck puppy…"

"Does that mean you used to love mommy?" Heidi asked looking up at Ranger, who nodded his head and smiled, "Oh..I'm sorry that you lose Mommy too, Papi."

"Thank you, Bella," Ranger said, leaning down and kissing Heidi's cheek, "You are such a thoughtful daughter!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Arthur Manns was a man that eluded power and demanded it as well. He was a tall man with blue eyes, brown hair and a built frame. He was a man of power and wealth, owning several businesses and the like from around the world. Heidi's mother had been his heiress, but when she died, Heidi The Second became his heiress. Whenever Heidi was here, she was spoiled rotten. Ranger rarely came to Mann Manor, due to the fact that Heidi's mother was laid to rest in the family mausoleum. He was here now, and he wanted to finally wanted to see Heidi's grave.

"Glad to see you, son," Arthur said, hugging Ranger tightly, before he let go of him and looked down at Heidi, who yawned and leaned against her father's legs, "Well, looks like my princess had returned, it's well past your bedtime, let's get you upstairs and into your jammies, and I'll have Maria bring you some warm milk and biscuits."

"Thank you Grandpa Manns." Heidi yawned as her father picked her up and carried her into the manor, "I like Maria…"

"Mhmm, I called her just for you, since you'll be here with your father and I for a whole week," Arthur said, leading Ranger up the stairs to the second floor, "And I got your room all ready for you, the carousal is waiting for you."

"I like the carousal," Heidi muttered sleepily as Arthur opened a set of double doors, "Can I ride it soon?"

"You may," Arthur said, leading Ranger into a room of soft pink that had a huge canopy bed on one side and toys scattered all over the place. It was a child's paradise, there was even a small carousal in a corner, no wonder why Heidi fussed when she left Mann Manor, she was living in a toy land.

Ranger set her down on the soft bed and began to help her out her shoes and socks, before slipping her jacket and sweater off her frame and put a thin pink night gown on her. Heidi kicked off her jeans and then crawled under the soft silky covers, she was asleep before her head hit the pillows. Ranger picked her clothes up and placed them in a laundry basket beside the bathroom door. He turned on the side lamp for Heidi and kissed her forehead before leaving with Arthur. Arthur gave Ranger a look and then said, "It's unlocked for you, son, you take all the time you need."

"Thanks, Mr. Manns," Ranger said, earning a nod from the man, "I'm sorry it took so long for me to come here."

"You're here now and that's all that matters,"Mr. Manns said, leading Ranger to the staircase, "Take all the time you need."

Ranger climbed down the stairs and made his way out the front door and around the house. The Manns Mausoleum was located in a corner of the lot, surrounded by trees and a garden, that in the spring, would be bursting with life. The iron gates of the building were opened and lights led the way inside. Ranger walked through the gates and made his way up to the building and walked inside. It was brightly lit and inside the Mausoleum were platforms with raised graves on them, each holding the body of a deceased Manns. It took Ranger a few minutes to make his way back to where Heidi lay. He hadn't been in his right mind, the night she had died, and so Arthur had her resting here. Ranger ran a hand over the smooth stone and read the inscription on it.

_"Heidi Annamarie Manns Manoso: Born May 23__rd__ 1983 Died April 16__th__ 2009. Beloved daughter, wife, friend and mother. _

_"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death." ~Robert Fulghum_

Ranger looked down at the fresh flowers on it and said, "Heidi, it's been a long time since I've talked to you, I'm so sorry that I haven't been here to see you, Quedria, I was scared and hurting, and I have a child to watch over that…really misses her Mommy. I'm so, so, so, sorry. I came here for closure, and to see you. There are a lot of things going on, and I wanted to let you know that I love, with all my heart…I almost took my life a long time ago, Quedria, but…then, Heidi, my Bella, our Bella, came into my life and she saved me….you saved me Heidi, even if you didn't carry the child that saved me, she's from a part of you, she looks like you, she acts like you, she's so wild and free, you would love her to pieces, if you saw her. I'm…I'm raising her in the way that you would approve of…"

Ranger let out a weak sob and then ran a hand over the stone again. He leaned forward and said, "Oh god, Heidi, why did you have to die? Why did you have to leave me alone? Please…tell me what to do…"

Ranger gave another weak sob and then paused, feeling his cell phone go off. He pulled it out his pocket and smiled weakly, seeing Stephanie's name on the screen. He lifted the phone up and answered it with a weak, "Yo…."

"Hey Ranger, I was calling to see if you were alright, you sounded so low the other day," Stephanie said, making Ranger smile, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, Stephanie, everything is alright, I'm just….closing some doors…" Ranger said, earning a chuckle from Stephanie, "Tell me, Stephanie, how was your day?"

Ranger slid down onto the stone floor, leaning up against Heidi's tomb. He let Stephanie's voice wash over him, soothing him, as she talked about how a man was trying to woo her, even though she had rejected him many times. He let Stephanie talk to him long into the night and when they inally got off the phone with one another, Ranger felt extremely better, he felt as if everything would be okay.

Slowly, he could feel the heavy door behind him, sliding shut and it felt good.

Closure felt good...

TBC…

* * *

Oh ho...what is this, closure?! Good, the Babe ball is about to roll, but there's going to be a bunch of bumps on the road! Please review, they tend to make me write faster...hint...hint!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15, Enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1!

Please review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 15

* * *

"I thought we lost you," Arthur said lightly, watching Ranger sit down in the chair across from him, "You were in the Mausoleum for a few hours. Are you at peace now?"

"Somewhat," Ranger said accepting the glass tumbler of brandy from Arthur, "Mr. Manns, how did you get over your daughter's death?"

"I've never got over it," Arthur admitted, looking into the fire and sighing deeply, "She was my only child and my pride and joy. I used to tell her that one day…that job of hers would get her killed, and it did, but…she knew the risks, she knew that one day, something bad could potentially happen to her. Sometimes, I want to scream up at the skies and demand why it had to be my child, why did my Heidi have to die?"

Ranger nodded his head slightly and then asked, "What stops you from screaming and crying?"

"You and my grandchild," Arthur said with a chuckle, sipping his drink, "Heidi The Second is everything to me and shit, you need me too, even though you think you don't, you really do need me."

Ranger nodded his head and said, "Thank you, Mr. Manns, for being there with us."

"It's not a hardship, son," Arthur said, giving Ranger a smile, "We're family and though I may have chased you out the house all those years ago, when I found out you married my child, I've changed. People change, Carlos, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad."

Ranger nodded his head slowly and looked over to the fireplace. People do change, he could vouch for that. After his wife died in his arms, he had turned into a monster, a ruthless killing machine, intent on revenge. Those days after his wife died, he fell off the face of the earth, torturing and hunting anyone who knew of the man that killed his wife. Heidi's killer may have gotten his justice, but Ranger had only begun. The trail of people he left behind was massive. All he wanted to do was find his wife's killer, take no prisoners and leave no evidence. It had taken him months, but when he found the coward, the man had begged Ranger for his life, offered him money, anything, his daughters, his own, daughters to save his skin. Oh no, Ranger made him pay, ten times in spade, for the death of his wife. He tortured him for days on end until he finally Ranger tore him apart. After that, with nothing left to live for, he went to some secluded place and tried to kill himself. If it wasn't for Tank and for the fact that he had, unknowingly, became a father, he would be dead somewhere right now. Yes, people change, Ranger had changed, and now he was a good father. He never wanted his Bella to see the monster he was capable of becoming, never.

"Easy there, son," Arthur said, getting up and placing a hand on Ranger's shoulder, "That's all in the past, I can see the war you're raging in the back of your mind, no, it's best not to think about those things, and take you back to someplace you don't want to go to."

Ranger nodded his head and downed the rest of drink, in one go. He looked up to Arthur and said, "I know, Mr. Manns, thank you."

"Come on now, son, let's get you up to bed, you and Heidi have a long day ahead of you," Arthur told Ranger, helping him up from his seat.

"I know, thanks or taking us in at the last minute," Ranger said as Arthur led him up the stairs.

"No, thank you for coming here to finally put those demons to rest," Arthur said with a chuckle.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie let out a squeal, holding up the pink pair of Hello Kitty panties for Lula and Val to see. They were frilly and light blue with the iconic cat on the back of them. Lula nodded her head and said, "Damn skippy, these here are some cute undies, are you branching out to children now, Steph?"

"Nope, Heidi wanted me to sell her some Hello Kitty Panties, so I ordered several different types for her," Stephanie said with a smile, looking over to the girls, "The batman undies are on their way. If the women want to buy these undies for their children, it would be an added bonus for us."

Valarie smiled and then frowned saying, "Have you heard from Brittany, Steph? She told me that she would call me this week, about the real estate case."

Brittany had been incognito for the week now, either claiming that she was busy with work, or something else. Before Brittany went missing, she had told them all that she would probably being in the federal appeals court trying to get the ball rolling faster. She also said that she might have to go California for not only Val's case but for her famous client's case as well.

"She might be quite busy, Val," Stephanie said with a shrug, giving the box of little girl panties to Lula, "I'll call her tonight, to see if I can get in contact with her."

"Hopefully you won't spend too much time talking to Ranger," Valarie said, earning a shout from Stephanie, "Come on, Steph, I heard you walking up and down the hallway these last few nights. You spend hours on the phone with him, I think she's like him, Lula."

"She better," Lula said with a leer, as she placed the children's underwear on the little plastic stand on top of the counter, "Ranger's a good catch, he's hot, has a cute daughter, is well off and he's Tankie Wankie's friend, all good traits."

"I'm going to tell Tank that you call him that," Stephanie said earning a shrug from Lula.

"He already knows that I call him Tankie Wankie," Lula said with a smile, flattening the box, "'Sides, he likes it when I call him his pet name."

Stephanie shook her head and said, "Oh goodness, okay, I may like him a little bit, he went out of town this week, and I don't know where he went, the first time I talked to him, he sounded really low, I was just checking out on him, because, that's what a good friend does!"

Lula and Valarie nodded their heads and got back to work. Stephanie herself made her way to her office and sat down behind her desk. She laid her head on her arms and looked at the little photos from their night at Chuck E. Cheese. She had placed it in a pink Hello Kitty picture frame, and from time to time, she would look at it. She smiled at the stoic look Ranger had on his face as she and Heidi made bunny ears above his head. He was trying not to smile but his lips were twitching around the edges. Stephanie chuckled and sighed, sitting up. She wondered what it would be like if she and Ranger and Heidi were really a family. The thought of begin Heidi's mother didn't scare like it really should have. She could see herself kissing her boo-boos and cutting off the crust to her sandwiches. She could see herself raising Heidi with Ranger. She could see it and she wanted it, she nearly had a craving for it. She wanted to be a part of the Manoso family and most of all, she wanted Ranger.

But, how was she to get to her end goals?

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Papi, what is this place?" Heidi asked Ranger as he led her into the Mausoleum, "I've seen it before when I played with Grandpa Manns, but I was never allowed inside, why are we here?"

"This is where Mommy is sleeping," Ranger said softly to Heidi, as he led her through the large building and over to the back, "Grandpa Manns placed her in here, she's sleeping here."

"Oh!" Heidi said with a smile, looking around, but frowning and saying, "But…we can't wake her up, why are we going to see her?"

"Because, Bella," Ranger said, stopping in front of his wife's tomb, "You need to see Mommy, do you want me to read what's on top of the tomb?"

"Yes please," Heidi said, as Ranger picked her up, "Please read it to me, Papi."

Ranger read the inscription on the tomb and then Heidi said with a smile, "Oh! She has my name! Was she named after me?!"

"No, Bella, you were named after her," Ranger chuckled kissing Heidi's cheek, "I named you after her, because as you grow up, you look just like her."

"Oh," Heidi said, looking down at the tomb for a moment, before she said, "Papi, can I talk to Mommy alone for a minute? I'll be quick, I promise!"

Ranger nodded his head and placed Heidi down on the floor, "She'll listen to you, I promise."

"Kay," Heidi said with a smile as Ranger walked out the family tomb. Heidi rested her hands on the smooth marble and said, "Mommy, hi, it's me, your daughter! Papi said you were sleeping, and we can't wake you up. I hope you're not having bad dreams, if you are having bad dreams, I can turn on a nightlight for you. Or, I can give you my stuffed ferret, Harriet. She gets rid of all the bad dreams when I hold her. I wish you were awake, Mommy and that you were with us right now. I need a Mommy, and Papi needs one too. I hope you don't mind, Mommy, but I made a wish to Mister Star, asking him to bring us a Mommy. Don't tell Papi, but I think he did bring me one! Her name is Miss Stephanie and she's a nice lady to be around with, she makes Papi smile a lot and between you and me, I think he kinda wants to marry her!"

Heidi giggled and then paused , looking thoughtful, "Mommy, I hope you're not alone where you are, I wish I could be with you so you wouldn't be lonely, but, I have to stay here with Papi, cause, If I wasn't here, he'd be lonely too. Is it alright if I talked to you at night? Maybe Harriet the Ferret can bring you what I want to say to you, that way you won't be lonely anymore!"

Heidi pressed a kiss to the tomb and she whispered, "I love you, Mommy, I hope you're happy where you are now."

Heidi walked away from the tomb and ran off to find Ranger. She found him sitting outside on a stone bench by the gardens of the mausoleum. Heidi ran up to him and climbed in his lap, hugging him tighty. She kissed his cheek and said, "Papi, I love you very much."

"I love you too, Bella," Ranger said looking down at his child, "What did you say to Mommy?"

"Do I have to tell you?" Heidi asked, earning a headshake, "Well then, I can't tell you, it's top secret, between Mommy and me!"

"Well, okay then," Ranger said, standing up with Heidi in his arms, "Come on, Bella, let's go see if Grandpa Manns wants to go with us to London, we need to pick up gifts for our friends."

"Oh, can we ride the big Ferris Wheel?" Heidi asked as Ranger carried her back to the manor, "And get some yummy sweets?"

"Yes, of course we can, we're on vacation." Ranger said as they entered the Manor.

"Papi…do wish on Mister Star as well?" Heidi asked Ranger as they climbed up the stairs, "Like the way I do?"

"Sometimes, I do," Ranger said looking at Heidi who smiled, big amber eyes wide with excitement, "Sometimes I wish that you would pick up after yourself or that you would eat all your Brussels Sprouts…"

"Papi!" Heidi said pouting, "No! Do you wish for other things on Mister Star?"

"Well, not really, everything I want I have," Ranger said hugging Heidi, "I have my health, a darling daughter, good friends-"

"What about a Mommy?" Heidi asked, looking up at Ranger, "A Mommy for me and you, since my Mommy is sleeping and we can't wake her up."

Ranger blinked and said, slowly, "No….I think we're doing just fine without a Mommy, don't you think so?"

"Yeah, but, maybe I want a Mommy," Heidi said, sliding out of Ranger's arms, "I mean, Papi, you and I play tea party a lot, but sometimes, I want it to be girls only, and you're not a girl, that's why I need a Mommy, cause you're Papi, and not a Mommy."

"Oh, well I've never thought of that," Ranger said. Lies. "It's not that simple, Bella, getting a Mommy takes time, maybe one day, but not right now."

"I know that," Heidi said, kicking at the carpet and looking at Ranger, "I just wish it would happen now, I really want a Mommy…"

"I know you do," Ranger said softly, before holding his hand out, "Come on, let's go get Grandpa."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, her mind still going over what Ranger spoke to her a few hours earlier. He called her and rambled to her about how Heidi really wanted a mother. The conversation had Stephanie gripping the bed sheets tightly. The conversation had that achiness, that desire to jump up and say yes, she would be Heidi's mother, welling up inside of her. She couldn't offer something like that to Ranger, she hardly knew the man!

Stephanie paused in her thoughts and sat up in the bed, her eyes wide. She knew what she had to do, to get to her end goals.

She needed to learn about Carlos Manoso, the man, not Ranger, the father. But, that would be a feat in itself, that man could be like the Berlin Wall, sometimes!

Stephanie leaned back in the bed and thought about who she knew who knew Ranger and then it hit her. Lula knew someone who knows Ranger and Brittany Knew someone who knows about Ranger, well! She would just invite those four over for a friend's night out. That could be an easy way to find out more about the man that is Carlos Manoso!

TBC….

* * *

I hope Stephanie knows that Lula and Brittany are a hot mess! Sorry about the delay, I'm like lagging in real life and sleeping a lot, May Term is hardcore term. It's a 13 week long class compacted into two weeks :X. Any ways, please leave a review, they tend to make me write faster...hint...hint


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16, enjoy! This chapter is what I call the Catalyst chapter, and you'll find out soon enough!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 16

* * *

"Me, you, Lula, Tank and Lester and Dinner…." Brittany said, looking thoughtful as she looked through stacks of paperwork, "Interesting, when would this dinner occur?"

"I was thinking this weekend," Stephanie said as she filed more paperwork for Brittany, "Maybe at that nice little restaurant close by, you know that Indian one…"

"Oh, it's been a bit since I've had a good chutney," Brittany said off handedly, "So, uh, you're paying right?"

"Yes, I'm paying," Stephanie said, rolling her eyes at her cheap friend, "It's been a bit since we've hung out as friends, I was feeling kind of-"

"Lies," Brittany said airily, looking over to Stephanie, "You want some dirt on Ranger!"

Damn, for a hyper active drunk, Brittany sure was good, "How did you that's what I wanted to know?!" Stephanie hissed turning away from Brittany's sharp eyes.

"Cause…I'm a lawyer, I put two and two together and got four." Brittany said sitting up, "First off, you only invited Lula and I, if you wanted a friends night out, you would have invited Mary Lou as well. Second off, you invited our men, the same men that work in the same place that Ranger does, and also these men have probably known Ranger way before he opened Rangeman, dur! You want some lowdown on Ranger."

Brittany waved at Stephanie and said, "Well you needn't bribe Lula and I with food, we would have done it for free, but now that you have offered us Indian, you can't take it back!"

"Damn it," Stephanie muttered, before she turned to Brittany and put the rest of the papers away in the filing cabinet, "Brittany, I think I may have a crush on Ranger…"

"I'd be concerned if you didn't have a crush on the man," Brittany said with a smile, leaning back in her seat, "Stephanie, Ranger's a fine catch, he's not going to do to you what the Dick did."

"Yeah, I think I can see that," Stephanie said, sitting down from across Brittany, "It's just, maybe I should to know a little bit more about him. He told me a few things about himself, but, I bet Tank and Lester know a lot about him."

"I'm sure they do, they were all on the same time in the Army," Brittany said with a shrug, "Lester told me some things, did you know that Lester and Ranger are cousins?"

"I didn't!" Stephanie said with a hiss, before she leaned forward and said, "Alright, Brittany, this Saturday, we're going to have dinner, alright?"

"Alright, you're the boss, but I want to go to Divine India, they have the best tandoori!" Brittany said, shuffling more papers around, "OI! I have something for you to relay to Valarie."

Stephanie nodded her head as Brittany coughed and said, "We have a court hearing in the Federal appeals court regarding the estate confiscated by the FBI, the court hearing will occur on November 23. You don't want to know how I got the hearing, it took everything to get it, and that Walker is a right twat. Hopefully we can use the 'My husband ran off, I had no idea what he was doing,' scenario and get back the property."

"That's wonderful news!" Stephanie said with a smile, earning a head nod from Brittany, "I'll go and tell her right away, thank you so much, Brittany, I know Valarie really appreciates this."

"No problem, you're my friend and Valarie's your sister, I'll take care of the both of you!" Brittany said with a smile, "Now, be gone with you, I have things to do!"

Stephanie grabbed her jacket and made her way out of Brittany's office. As she did, Brittany's office phone rang. Brittany picked it up and answered it with a quick, "Hello, Brittany Small, Attorney at law."

"Brittany it's me, Sunny," A distorted voice on the other line said, making Brittany sit up. Sunny was Brittany's informant and go to person, someone Brittany didn't know if they even exist or possibly they could be a made up person.

"Hey, what's up, Sunny," Brittany asked, looking down at the notes from several of her court cases.

"Brittany, we have a problem with that divorce case you've asked me to get dirt on…." Sunny said, making Brittany sit up, "You need to find that woman and get her into hiding, and then you go into hiding as well, you both are in extreme danger."

"Oh boy, Stephanie, what is going on in that family of yours," Brittany muttered as Sunny told her what was happening.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"So, how are you feeling, my friend?" Maxim asked Ranger over the phone, "You called me for a reason and it must be because you need to talk about your time seeing where your wife is laid to rest."

Ranger chuckled and said, "Are you a Psychic, Maxim? Yes, that's what I want to talk about."

Ranger looked down at Heidi's small body. She had climbed into the bed he was sleeping in, clutching Harriet the Ferret. Harriet the Ferret was Heidi's security blanket, she had had the stuffed toy since birth. Arthur had given it to her. It was a threadbare sorry looking stuffed toy, with blue button eyes and a soft felt red smile. Arthur had told Ranger, last night, that Harriet used to belong to Heidi's mother, which was why he gave it to her, so she could have a piece of her mother all the time.

"Well, how do you feel?" Maxim asked, earning a sound from Ranger.

"light hearted, actually, I feel great, I should have done this ages ago, I feel awful for not coming to see Heidi's tomb for the longest of time, but now that I have seen her resting spot, I feel like this weight has been lifted from my shoulders," Ranger said softly, placing a hand on Heidi's sleeping form, "I feel as though, if I asked her, she would forgive me for neglecting to visit her."

"I'm positive she would," Maxim said softly, "The tragedy surrounding her death is a heavy load for you to carry, It will never go away, but at least, making peace with it, it will be bearable. So, how are you going to ask the woman you like out?"

Ranger jumped slightly at the blunt question, ask Stephanie out?! What?! "I…you…"

Ranger took a deep breath and then he said, "You're one of the rare few to leave me speechless, Maxim."

"People tell me that several times," Maxim chuckled, before he got serious, "That's the reason why you desire closure, you can't move on with this woman, without asking the one you loved before if it's alright for you to move on."

"I…" Ranger started looking thoughtful, "I never thought about that, I never thought if I came here to not only see her tomb, but to ask to move on, you know, I've never really been with other women, one night stands and so on, but with this woman, the one I enjoy being with, I want something more than a quickie. I want to move on with Stephanie."

"Mhmm, it's good for you to say that," Maxim said with a chuckle, "But, I'm going to ask for you to take it slow with her. Get to know her, and slowly fall in love with her. Don't rush into it, you have a daughter to worry about first and foremost."

"Absolutely," Ranger said agreeing with Maxim. That's what he really wanted to do, to fall in love with Stephanie. To truly know the true Stephanie Plum. He wanted to be sure that Stephanie would accept everypart of his life. Eventually, he will tell her about the parts of his past work that aren't so kosher. For now, however, they would become friends first, then lovers later.

"You have this under control, Ranger," Maxim said in a low voice, "I'm not afraid that you'll mess this up, alright, I'll let you go now, but I might suggest that a walk in the park with Heidi is a good first date."

Ranger chuckled as Maxim boomed with laughter and hung up on him. Maxim was right, he was going to slowly fall in love with Stephanie. That's what he wanted to do, and that's what Stephanie deserved. She had fallen into easy relationship with men, all because of family pressure. He would make Stephanie see that there was more to it than just a three week thing and then marriage. He would show Stephanie that there were still men out there who knew how to treat a woman right. Ranger would treat Stephanie right, Ranger would do that and then some. But first….he needed to do two things.

He got up from the bed, walked over to the dresser and pulled out a sweater and threw it on his bare torso. He slipped into his shoes and made his was out of the room, mindful of Heidi's sleeping form. Ranger made his way down the stairs, and out the back door, making his way to the family Mausoleum. Once he got there, he went directly to Heidi's tomb, and sat down beside it. He sat there, in silence for a long time, before he sighed and said, "Heidi, I have a question for you, please, don't be angry with me. I've met a lovely woman, Heidi, she's smart, independent, driven, and she loves our child. She's kind of like you, Heidi, but with curly brown hair and blue eyes."

Ranger chuckled and then said, "She's a lot like you, really, you would have became great friends, if you were alive today."

Ranger turned to the tomb and said, "Heidi, I want to move on with her. I want to fall in love with her, and I want her to help me raise our child. I want a life with her. Please, tell me it's alright to move on, Heidi, please, tell me that you're happy with it, tell me something, Heidi."

Ranger sighed softly and covered his eyes, he just needed something from Heidi to make it alright. He sat in the crypt for a long time, before he got up and made his way outside to go back into the house. He had walked past the well lit fountain when he spotted something thing blue standing proud and tall in the bare gardens by the fountain. It was a blue Cornflower, fully bloomed and healthy looking, despite the cold England weather. Ranger walked over to it and plucked it from the ground. He looked up at the flower and turned as someone spoke to him.

"Cornflower, or the Bachelor's Button," Arthur said softly, walking over to Ranger, "Odd, I've never seen them in the gardens, and this one is alive too."

"Does it have a meaning, Mr. Manns?" Ranger asked Arthur, earning a head nod from the man, "What's it meaning?"

"Cornflower means a single blessing," Arthur said with a shrug, "If someone were to give you these, it means that you have their blessings."

Ranger chuckled and said softly to himself, "She used to love flowers…" before turning to Arthur, "I asked Heidi a question, and she gave me an answer, I think it's time Heidi Jr. and I go home."

"It'll be lonely around here, though, maybe I'll visit you two when the holidays come around." Arthur said with a smile, "This English cold weather gets dreadful sometimes!"

"I'm sure it does," Ranger said, pausing as his phone went off, "Hold on, I have to take this call."

Ranger answer his phone with a quick, "Talk…."

"Ranger, you are needed back here, now," Tank said sternly, his voice low, "There was an assassination attempt on Stephanie's lawyer friend. A bomb in her office, no deaths, but Brittany was injured as was Stephanie. We have her in hiding now, but we need you back her now."

"What's going on?" Ranger asked, his face darkening , making Arthur step over to him with worry, "Tell me all you can over the phone."

"Apparently, Brittany found out something serious pertaining with the divorce case of Stephanie's sister, we moved them all to Rangeman, but, you need to come back right now," Tank said, making Ranger nod his head.

"I'll be there soon," Ranger said before he hung up the phone. Ranger turned to Arthur and said, "I need to go now, sir, there's an emergency occurring back at home and I need to be there."

"I'll let you use my personal Jet," Arthur said leading Ranger back into the Manor, "You get my grandchild back home safely, and you watch out yourself."

"Oh, I will," Ranger said with a smile, "I'm trained at this kind of stuff."

TBC

* * *

What is going on in Trenton?! Hurry up and get back there, Ranger! Please leave a review, they tend to make me write faster, hint, hint!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17, enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy! Please review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 17

* * *

"Couldn't those jerks waited until after Saturday to try to kill you, Brittany?" Lula asked, watching as the Rangeman Medic, Bobby, changed both Brittany's and Stephanie's bandages, "I mean, we were going to get Tandoori!"

"Why do I even like you?!" Brittany whined, wincing as Bobby dabbed something painful on one of her burns, "HEY! That smarts! Back off, I'll bite your head off!"

Stephanie smiled weakly and said, "Well, at least your personality didn't get injured."

Stephanie had been shaken by the chain of events that had happened on Friday. First off, she had gotten a call from her security company stating that someone had broken into her home. Someone did, and they tore the place up, looking for something. The second and last event had been when Stephanie and Brittany had gone out to get lunch for everyone in the shop. Brittany had to stop by her closed offices to get stuff for Val to sign off on. Stephanie tagged along with Brittany into her building and the both of them nearly died as a bomb had gone off in Brittany's office, luckily they had only just step foot in the office building. They only received minor scrapes and burns. Brittany had called the cops while Stephanie had called Tank. Tank assured her that her shop was safe, nothing and no one would mess with that place. She had told Tank what had happened to Brittany's office and minutes later, Lester had taken her and Brittany and to Rangeman and both were checked over by Bobby.

"I don't have an office anymore," Brittany whined, looking like a sad puppy, "My house has been deemed too dangerous for me, and I didn't even get the chutney I wanted!"

"Well, you still have your life," Lula commented, looking at the two women, "And plus, Tankie Wankie promised to get us some Indian anyways."

Stephanie and Brittany giggled wildly. They met Tankie Wankie earlier in the day. Tankie Wankie was big bald headed man who looked like a Tank, hence the name; Tank. He didn't act like when Lula came calling. He was more like an overgrown teddy bear, and the sight of him and his 'Sugar Bear,' had both Stephanie and Brittany in tears, which was good because Bobby recommended that both injured women get tetanus shots. Stephanie knew that Brittany's phobia wasn't just mice, it was needles as well, and spiders….but Brittany wouldn't explain why spiders scared her. Well, they scared Stephanie too, so,it really didn't matter.

"Valarie and the girls are safe, Tank moved them somewhere else," Stephanie said turning to Brittany, "They'll be here soon, though, will you tell us what's going on, when they come, Brittany?"

"I sure as hell will," Brittany said with a sigh, resting her head on her blazer, "I knew the dangers that would be around, becoming a famous lawyer, but a bomb, in my pretty office, didn't see that one coming."

"I'm too pretty to be killed," Brittany hissed, making Stephanie roll her eyes.

"Well, you're alive now, and let's hope you stay that way," Stephanie said, making Brittany gasp.

"You think someone is going to try to hurt me again?" Brittany gasped, her eyes wide, "Oh, that Steve, such fucking bad news!"

"Oh, I can't go back to my house, which is trashed, what's going to happen, damn it all." Stephanie sighed, giving the women in the medical room a look, "I'm homeless until further notice!"

"You can stay here for as long as you like," Tank said walking into the medical room, holding several plastic food bags, "I bought some dinner, ladies and our guests are waiting for us in the conference room."

"Good, now I can tell you why I nearly got blown to pieces, along with Stephanie," Brittany said, just as Bobby pricked her with the tetanus shot he wanted to give her, "YE-OUCH!"

"I've never met anyone who was so afraid of needles," Bobby commented, before going over to Stephanie and giving her the same shot, "See Stephanie took hers like a big girl, why can't you."

"This is why I hate doctors," Brittany muttered, rubbing her now sore arm, "Oh, why don't you act like a woman, Brittany, it's just a shot, Brittany, it doesn't hurt that much-LIES!"

"I think she's just hysterical from the attempt on her life," Stephanie reasoned with Bobby as they made their way to the conference room, "Plus, the fact that all her paperwork on her cases were ruined as well."

"That, My dear Stephanie," Brittany said as they entered the meeting area, "Is where you're wrong! I didn't keep the paper work in my office, "Those were merely copies of the true paper work. Like all important papers, and items, I put them in a safe deposit chest in a bank. I won't say which bank, just in case, any you might be my would be killer after all."

"This woman is delusional," Lula muttered, earning a hiss from Brittany.

Stephanie felt much better, after a meal of Lamb Tandoori and mango chutney. Mary Alice and Angie were with Ella in her apartment, that way they wouldn't know about the situation that was going on. Once they were all done eating, Brittany sat up in her seat and said, eating off a chicken Kabob, "Well, so, I got a call from my friend, Sunny. They had some information for me about your snake of a husband. Sunny told me that I should start looking into assets, dating back to around five or six years. I did, and I started going back and looking, and looking, and looking, Valarie, sweetie, your husband was into worse things than just bribing judges."

Brittany grabbed her bag and pulled out a folder saying, "I had to look closely at the way money was being shuffled around. It was always on different days and the money was being shuffled around through many offshore accounts. The one thing that remind the same was the name on the accounts: P.O. San."

Brittany passed around the folder and let everyone look at the financial statements inside. Stephanie couldn't believe it what she saw. All together, the money from within these off shore accounts was over 100 million dollars! Valarie looked up at Brittany and said, "But….Steve didn't have this much money in accounts, 100 million?!"

"Yup, and you're right, Steve didn't have this much money, P. did," Brittany said looking thoughtful, "So, I dug in a little deeper, wondering why Steve was handling this much money and why he used a different name instead of his own. As I was looking up any possible reasons why he named it this, the answer came to me in the form of a voided check."

Brittany pulled out a copy of a check and pointed to printed backside. She smiled and said, see the stamped on signature, there's a snake at the bottom corner."

"I can't see no snake," Lula said, looking in the area that Brittany had pointed to, "Where is it?!"

Stephanie couldn't see the snake as well, and it seemed that Bobby, Tank, Lester and Val couldn't find it as well, what was Brittany talking about?"

Brittany rolled her eyes and pulled out the original check, "FBI buddy of mine managed to get me the original check, now, hold it up to the light and you will see that snake."

Brittany was right, once the original check was held in the air, in front of the light, a small watermark in the shape of a snake eating itself appeared. Stephanie put the check down and asked, "Well, what does that mean, Brittany?"

"It's an insignia for the Pit of Snakes," Brittany said, making the men in the room hiss loudly, "I know, fellas, Valarie, your husband was helping out an international terrorist group."

Valarie's face paled and she said, "Oh my god! I never, Steve had never-!"

"He was funneling their money into off shore accounts, and then he was funneling it from offshore accounts to banks in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Russia and China, and then bringing it back into the USA as new money." Brittany said, looking at Valarie, "But, when I busted him for child support, other things came out, this was not one of them. Sunny found out about this. Apparently, Steve took all the money he was funneling for the group, and hid it in another off shore account, in an unknown country. He was using that money to fund his affair with the baby-sitter. I found that account and the FBI seized it. so in short, the FBI now has the Pit Of Snakes money, the POS are looking for payback, they're looking for you and the girls."

"Why the girls and I?" Valarie whispered, her face paling even more, "I haven't done anything to them! I didn't even know about them until now!"

Brittany took out a contract and said, "Sunny sent me this, Valarie, I'm sorry but, when Steve signed on to help the POS out, he put you and the girls down as collateral. That means, now that their money is gone, they want their collateral."

Luckily, Lester caught Valarie before she fainted to the ground. Stephanie looked over to Brittany and asked, "Is that why they tried to kill you, Brittany? Because you found out about them?"

"Yup," Brittany said, nodding her head and looking around, "Plus, they think I know where Val is, just to be on the safe side, I gave all of my cases except for one, to colleagues. I'm keeping Val's case, we will still go to that federal appeal hearing, but we may need to speak to some FBI friends first. I called my friend from Washington, she'll be here on Monday to get all the information that I have."

"What about me and Steph?" Lula asked, looking at the group, "Are we in danger?"

"No, you guys aren't," Brittany said, making Lula and Stephanie sigh, "The POS are highly organized and they are a one track mind kind of group, they only deal with what they want, and that's Val and the girls. We will all go on with our normal lives, except for Val, keep her safe somewhere else. The girls should remain in their school, we just need added security there. Stephanie and Lula, you guys just go on with what you are doing, you two are safe."

"What about you?" Stephanie asked Brittany earning a shrug, "What are you going to do?"

"Well, I have a vacation now, and I'm going to enjoy it to the fullest!" Brittany said, with a squeal as she yawned, "I'll be crashing at Lester's pad, he said he wouldn't let me go home or anything. I'll be fine, I have a Special Op with me!"

"Well, as long as you remain safe, that's all that matters," Stephanie said with a sigh, leaning back in her chair, "Would be safe for me to go back to my house to pack up some things?"

"I don't think so, Miss. Stephanie," Tank said shaking his head, "It's best you stay here until the situation is looked at more closely. We'll wait until-"

"MISS. STEPHANIE!" Heidi came barreling into the office, dressed in a pair of PJs and a coat. She ran straight for Stephanie and jumped in her lap, "Miss. Stephanie! I missed you so much, why are you at Papi's job? It's way past bedtime."

Stephanie let out a laugh, hugging Heidi to her. She looked up, seeing Ranger walk into the conference room. She smiled and said, "Looks like I'm not the only person up past their bedtime…"

"Miss Stephanie, Miss. Brittany," Ranger said, nodding to the both of them, "Are you two alright?"

"They're just minor boo-boos," Stephanie said as Heidi looked her up and down, "Though I had to get a shot, and Brittany was a big baby."

Heidi giggled and said, "Miss. Brittany! It's only a shot!" turning to Brittany and giving her a pretty smile, "I'll hold your hand the next time you get one."

"My hero," Brittany gushed before she turned to Ranger and said, "Ranger, you need to sit down so I can tell what's going down here."

Ranger sat down close to Stephanie and Heidi and tipped his head to Brittany to relay the story to him. After she told him about Steve's on goings with the POS, he frowned and said, "They're not going to stop until they get Stephanie's sister and nieces, and kill of her lawyer, not only do we need the FBI, we need homeland security as well, We'll make calls on Monday morning. I say we retire for the night and we'll keep in contact."

"But, I can't go to my house and I don't think sleeping at Rangeman would be comfortable for me," Stephanie said looking at everyone at the table, "I know Val and the girls will be placed someplace safe, I'll get a hotel room."

"Nonsense," Ranger said, plucking a sleeping Heidi off of Stephanie's lap, "You don't have to stay in a hotel, you'll be coming home with Heidi and I, it'll be one big slumber party."

One big Slumber party indeed, Stephanie thought, ignoring the looks Brittany gave her. So much for that night out with the girls and their men!

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Brittany said with a giggled, looking over to Stephanie, "Well, look at the time, you all should get going, you have Heidi to put to sleep! Have fun you two!"

Ranger turned to Stephanie and said, "Stephanie, if you would follow me, please, I'll take you to Casa De Manoso."

Oh boy…..

TBC…

* * *

Stephanie's going to Casa De Manoso! It's purely for her protection...yeah...Please leave a review, they tend to make me write faster...hint..hint...


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18, enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1!

Please review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 18

* * *

Stephanie woke up to the smell of something baking and to the sound of giggles. It took her moment to remember where she was and to remember all the past events that occurred. She had nearly lost her life, thanks to a bomb. She was homeless, at the moment and her sister and nieces were in danger. Oh, and she was inside Ranger's house, sleeping in one of his many beds.

Stephanie sat up in the bed and looked around. It was a nice size bedroom, with its own little sitting area. There were a few doors in the bedroom, one led to a bathroom, two led to walk-in closets and the last one, which was closed, led to the hallway of the second floor. Stephanie had walked into the bedroom late last night and found that some magical fairy had left her some clothes that fit her in all the right places and the products she loved to use.

"I'm in Ranger's house, in one of his beds!" Stephanie squealed softly, laying back on the soft mattress, "And he's downstairs, making muffins!"

Stephanie smiled and buried her head in the soft pillow. She could get used to this, the sounds of movement downstairs, waking up to muffins and hearing a sweet child make their way upstairs…wait…

Stephanie turned her head, hearing soft giggles behind the closed door. Stephanie smiled and closed her eyes making loud snores. That made the door slid open slowly and then Stephanie heard soft tiny footsteps make their way over to her bed. Stephanie felt the bed dip slightly and then she felt a small body cuddle up next to her. Stephanie went quiet and then she heard Heidi whisper, "Wake up, Miss. Stephanie, Papi made strawberry muffins, eggs and bacon for breakfast…"

Oh, now that sounded real yummy. Stephanie cracked open one eye and asked, "Is there coffee as well?"

"That yucky black stuff that Papi sometimes drink?" Heidi asked, sitting up in the bed and looking at Stephanie, "Yeah, he made a big pot of it!"

"Oh, well then," Stephanie said, with a fake yawn, sitting up, "It's time to go eat breakfast then!"

Heidi jumped off the bed and then ran over to the door, "Come on, Stephanie, we can eat in our pajamas! Papi's in his pajamas as well!"

Stephanie could bet money that Papi slept in only pajama bottoms, breakfast was sounding extremely yummy now! Stephanie rolled out of bed and then followed Heidi down the stairs and into the spacious kitchen. Ranger was indeed in his pajamas, low riding black sleeping pants and that was it. His built was proudly on display for Stephanie to ogle at and she did, as Ranger settled Heidi at the table and got her situated with her breakfast. Stephanie poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table with Heidi, fixing her own meal saying, "Ranger, this smells wonderful, you didn't have to make breakfast, I would have gone somewhere and picked up something before I went into the shop today."

"Well, at Casa De Manoso, breakfast is always served in the morning, and we like to sit down and eat, before working women go off to make money," Ranger said, sitting down to eat, himself, "So, how long are you going to be in the shop today?"

"Well, I open shop at noon and close at 4," Stephanie said munching on a muffin, "Mmm, now this is a tasty muffin!"

"So, four hours, eh?" Ranger said, turning to Heidi, "Make sure you pack some toys and things to keep yourself busy, Bella."

"Okay, Papi!" Heidi said, with a face full of muffins, "Mmm, Papi, thank you for making muffins!"

"You're going with me into the shop?" Stephanie asked, earning a head nod, "Wait a minute, you don't have to, really, you're troubling yourself as it is, with me staying in your house."

"It's no problem, Stephanie," Ranger said, wiping his mouth, "At Rangeman LLC, we take the security of our clients serious, if they are ever in danger, we shall protect them, at all cost."

"A soldier never goes off to battle without their comrades," Heidi said, in her serious voice, "Right, Papi?"

"Right, Soldier," Ranger said leaning over and kissing Heidi's forehead, "So, it's 9 now, we have a few hours to go before we need to open up shop, finish your meal, Heidi, and I'll get you into the bath."

"Sir, yes sir!" Heidi said, chomping on a strip of bacon, "MMMM! I love bacon, Miss. Stephanie needs to live here forever, and then I can get bacon every day!"

Stephanie smiled over the rim of her coffee cup, earning a smile rom Ranger. It wasn't such a bad idea, living here, getting muffins in the morning and waking up to a small body cuddling her and Heidi telling her about the muffins. She could see herself waking up in the arms of said child's father. They would be such a nice little family.

"You don't have to worry about giving Heidi a bath, I'll give her a bath, and any little rituals she does, she'll tell me," Stephanie said, earning a head nod from Heidi, "I'm a fast learner, Heidi, so don't worry!"

"Sometimes, Papi washes my hair too hard," Heidi whispered in Stephanie's ear, "you won't wash my hair too hard, will you?"

"No ma'am, I'm the queen of washing hair, and I don't get soap in your eyes," Stephanie whispered back, earning a head nod from Heidi, "Why don't we finish Breakfast, and we'll go upstairs and take a bath."

"And then we'll come downstairs, and help Papi clean up the kitchen!" Heidi said, finishing her meal and her juice, "I always help Papi clean up after breakfast, and then we play games!"

"What kind of games?" Stephanie asked, standing up, done with her meals, "You need to tell me all the games you play, Heidi, since I'm going to be here for a bit, it would be wise of me to know what your favorite games are."

"Oh!" Heidi said, her eyes big, looking over to Ranger, "Papi! Is that true, Stephanie's going to be living with us!"

"For a bit," Ranger said, earning a squeal from Heidi, "I can tell you're happy about this."

"Mhmm," Heidi said, sliding down her booster seat and running over to Stephanie, "Come on, Miss. Stephanie, I gotta show you all my favorite toys, and Harriet the Ferret! We'll have tea parties and everything!"

Heidi hugged Stephanie's legs and said, "I'm very glad you're staying with us, Miss. Stephanie, we're gonna have fun, I know it!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"So, how do you like them, Heidi?" Stephanie asked the child, holding up a pair of Hello Kitty panties, "I got them just for you, and I'll have you know, several of them sold in the last few days!"

Heidi's eyes widened and she whispered, "Miss. Stephanie, they're lovely!"

Heidi squealed as Stephanie gave her the pair of panties. She looked over to Ranger and said, "Papi…I need money to buy them, please…."

Ranger smiled at Heidi and pulled out his wallet and gave her a ten dollar bill, which she promptly gave to Stephanie.

"Now you don't have to pay for these, Heidi, they're on the house," Stephanie said with a smile, earning another wide eyed look, "Though, it you want, I'm ordering more Hello Kitty things, like camisoles and pajamas, you can use that money on them."

"Okay!" Heidi said with a smile, running over to Harriet the Ferret and placing the money in a zippered pocket on the stuffed toy, "There now I have money to buy more undies!"

"You didn't have to give them to her," Ranger said as Heidi went back to playing with her dolls, "It's only fair that she pay for them."

"Like I said, those were on the house," Stephanie said crossing her arms, "Since I'm staying at your house, for free, I might as well give someone something since you won't let me pay you."

"No price, Stephanie," Ranger said with a smile, which slipped from his mouth, when he saw the door to Stephanie's shop open and two people walked in.

Stephanie turned to welcome the people who arrived in her store but groaned loudly. There, standing in the doorway, was Joe Morelli and her mother. What were they doing here?! Wait a minute…why were they wearing dark clothes and gloves….what were they doing before they came here?!

"Cupcake, I thought it was just you today," Joe said, looking over to Ranger and then over to the child on the floor, "how are you today, Cupcake."

Stephanie felt Ranger grab her arm and pull her back slightly, at least she wasn't the only one to get strange vibes from the two people in front of her, "Don't call me that, Joe, I keep telling you that you can't call me that nickname."

"These are the people from last weekend!" Helen said, glaring at Ranger and then at the girl, "Stephanie, we need to have a talk, tell them to leave."

"I don't think so," Ranger said, finally speaking up and standing in front of Stephanie, "If you have anything to say to her, you can say it in front of me as well."

Helen sputtered and rage but a stern look from Joe had her quiet. Joe looked past Ranger and at Stephanie, "We'll come back later on, when you're alone."

Joe and Helen left the shop and Stephanie looked at Ranger who gave her a firm look. Stephanie's eyebrows rose and she asked, "What?"

"I'm going to give you a panic button, just in case," Ranger said to Stephanie as he glanced at the security equipment, "Just in case someone wants to snatch you up."

"You don't have to worry about that," Stephanie said, as customers walked into the shop, "Now, make yourself useful and start stocking up some things, it's just me and you today, Lula called, she had to go to a wedding to do hair."

"Yes, Ma'am," Ranger said, saluting Stephanie, "Stephanie, any plans for this afternoon?"

"Maybe a nice nap and then a tea party," Stephanie said with a shrug, looking over to Heidi, "That's just about it."

"Well, let's put those on the back burner for now, how about we take Heidi on a walk through the park." Ranger suggested earning a smile from Stephanie, "You know, we could all use some air."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Stephanie said before going over to the customer, "We'll have so much fun."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie was expecting a trip to the local park, somewhere in Trenton. What she got was an hour long car ride to New York City to Central Park. Heidi was ecstatic and she made a point to drag Ranger and Stephanie to the lake and feed the ducks. The weather was mild for October and there was a light breeze. They spent the whole afternoon in the park, walking down the paths and eating junk food and drinking hot cider. They ended their park visit by riding a horse drawn carriage through the park.

"I wasn't expecting this," Stephanie said as Heidi bounced in her lap, "Ranger, I was expecting a trip to the local park."

"Well, Heidi likes this park, and whenever we were up in Boston, I would fly her down here and we would spend a day in the city. She loves it, it's usally between the two of us, but, we think you would like it as well."

Stephanie was touched, to learn that this trip was usually between two Heidi and Ranger and Ranger invited her to take part of it. It was an honor, and plus, Heidi really enjoyed Stephanie's company.

Stephanie smiled at Ranger and said, "Thank you, Ranger, for letting me join you in this private trip."

"Well, since you're living at Casa De Manoso for now, you're part of the family, and family is the number one thing of importance." Ranger said, running a hand over Heidi's head, "Right Bella?"

"Yes Papi!" Heidi said with a smile, snuggling into Stephanie's embrace, "You're our family Stephanie."

'If only for the moment,' Stephanie thought, wrapping her arms around Heidi's small frame, ignoring the ache in her chest, the longing to be a true member in the family.

Heidi sat up and turned to Stephanie saying, "Look, Stephanie! it's Mister Star, Papi says that if you make a wish on him, it'll come true!"

Stephanie looked up into the sky and over to the bright star that stood brightly against the setting sky. Heidi smiled and said, "You need to make a wish, Stephanie, but you can't say it out loud! Close your eyes!"

Stephanie smiled at Heidi and Ranger before closing her eyes and making her wish.

'I wish, with all my heart, that I could truly be a member of this family,' Stephanie wished before she opened her eyes and looked at Heidi, "I hope my wish comes true…"

"I do too," Heidi said, turning to look at Ranger, "Papi, I'm hungry, can we go and get pizza tonight?"

"Alright, Bella, once the carriage ride is over, we'll go get some pizza," Ranger said to Heidi and then turned to Stephanie, "I hope your wish comes true as well, Miss. Stephanie."

Stephanie blushed and she said, "Thank you, Ranger."

"You can call me Carlos," Ranger said with a smile, his arm wrapping around Stephanie's shoulders, "Only people close to me can call me that."

"Well, I feel honored," Stephanie said, feeling Carlos slide closer to her, "Thank you for today, Carlos…"

"No problem, Babe," Carlos said, before looking over to Stephanie, "Is it alright if I called you Babe?"

"I have no problem with it," Stephanie said with a smile, "In fact, I'd be insulted if you didn't call me Babe."

TBC….

* * *

Oh la la, what is this I smell in the air?! Could it be something...magical?! Casa De Manoso is working its magic on the two! Please leave a review, they tend to make me write faster, hint...hint...


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19, enjoy! Sorry but it's a short chapter, I'll be on a class trip all day, so I won't be on all day, I didn't want to leave you hanging, so I'll just split up this chapter into two parts.

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please Review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 19

* * *

Ranger let out a groan as his phone went off. He felt Heidi shift beside him and then settle back down, snoring softly. Ranger grabbed his phone and looked at the call screen, groaning as he saw Maxim's number on it. It was….holy shit, it was 9 in the morning! He was usually up by 6, why had he slept in so late?!

It hit Ranger then, last night they had gone to New York City, and spent most of the night there. By the time they came arrived home, it was nearly 3 in the morning. No wonder why he had slept in. He sat up in his bed and answered with a low, "Talk."

"We'll work on those phone manners," Maxim chuckled on the other end of the phone, making Ranger groan, "Oh yes, I was calling to tell you to open up the front door, we're here to visit."

Ranger could hear Diesel in the background shouting, "We're here to play with Heidi!"

Ranger lay back in the bed and groaned, "Can't you come back at a later time?"

"No, we cannot, I snuck out the house, while the wife is in the office," Maxim said, his voice serious, "She'll have my head if she found out that I drove here, with a broken foot."

Ranger winced at that statement. It was his fault the man was walking around with a broken foot. No, it wait, it wasn't Ranger's fault, it was the Great Pumpkin's fault! That was Ranger's story and he was sticking to it. It didn't help that the tad bit of guilt her felt made him say, "I'll be down in a moment to let you in."

"No need to," Maxim said with a chuckle, "A very lovely woman has opened the door for us, oh, her name is Stephanie!"

Ranger sat up in the bed and heard the sounds of Diesel's battle cries and then loud tiny footsteps make their way up the stairs.

"Heidi! Where are you Heidi!" Diesel boomed, running down the hallway, "I'm here to play with you!"

Heidi turned in her sleep and croaked, "Kay…be out in a minute….." her body going still.

That was one thing Heidi had inherited from her mother; sleep talking and answering. Ranger chuckled and climbed out of bed, tossing on a black t-shirt and making his way out his room. He found Diesel in Heidi's room, checking under her bed to see if said child was there. Ranger coughed loudly, making Diesel turn to look at him. Diesel gave him a smile and asked, "Where's my Heidi?"

His Heidi?! Ranger gave the boy in front of him a look and said, "You mean your friend, right?"

Diesel crossed his arms and said, "No….my Heidi!"

Ranger and Diesel had a long stare down before Ranger said, "Look, Diesel, I know you like my child a lot, but she isn't like a toy that can be claimed by an owner, you can be friends with her."

"No, Heidi's mine, I'm gonna marry her and everything," Diesel said with a smile, puffing out his chest, "Where's my Heidi, it's been a super long time since I've seen her."

"She's fast asleep and she's not your anything, she's my child." Ranger said, as Diesel pouted, "Why do think that Heidi is yours to own?"

"I don't want to own her or nothing like that," Diesel said, looking down, "She's mine is all, I really like her, I would even kiss her! And kissing is really yucky!"

Luckily for Ranger, Diesel was too busy talking about kissing Heidi to notice that Ranger had paled and nearly fainted. First the hand holding and now this! He was going to lose his child to this punk!

"Papi?" Diesel asked, looking up to Ranger's blank face, "I'm hungry, do have any more of the Life Cereal?"

Ranger looked down at Diesel who smiled up at him. Thank god for four year old attention spans, he might even forget what he just told Ranger.

"Kid, I have more than just life cereal, how about I make us some breakfast?" Ranger asked, lifting Diesel over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, "Did you eat before you came here?"

"No, Papi! I wanted to see Heidi, but now I'm hungry!" Diesel said as Ranger carried him down the stairs, "I want eggs and bagels and muffins and bacon…."

"You sound like you're starving kid," Ranger chuckled as they made their way into the kitchen.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Now you sit there," Stephanie said to Maxim, moving around the kitchen, "You are just as bad as your kid, sneaking out with a broken foot!"

Maxim shrugged his shoulders and said, "I guess I get it from him, Miss. Stephanie. What are you doing? Making breakfast?"

"I can barely boil water," Stephanie confessed as she found the canister of coffee, "I'll make us some coffee and get out those leftover muffins for us to munch on."

Stephanie shuffled around the kitchen, getting out coffee cups and finding milk and sugar for their coffee. She found the muffins at the bottom of the fridge, at the perfect height for some little busybody to reach in and grab one of those tasty muffins. As Stephanie looked around in the fridge, she found that all the snacks that a child would love were on the lower levels and all the other types of food were on the high shelves. She could learn a lot about Carlos, just by looking into his fridge. He ate mostly organic food and seemed to be a health fanatic. Heidi, however seemed to be omitted from his health regime, because there were several children snacks that were packed with sugar. Stephanie could hardly imagine Carlos going out and buying all this junk food. Heidi must have a sweet tooth bigger than Stephanie's. At least all the junk food was organic junk food.

Stephanie placed the muffins and cups on the table before she sat down across from Maxim at the kitchen table. Maxim leaned forward and asked, "So, Miss. Stephanie, how long have you liked Mr. Manoso?"

"About a week or so…." Stephanie said, off handedly, before she realized what he asked and what she said. Stephanie's eyes widened and she looked over to Maxim who smiled and leaned back in his seat, grabbing a muffin.

"Mhmm, that's what I thought," Maxim said, popping a piece of muffin in his mouth, "Please, Miss. Stephanie, you spent 10 minutes looking in the man's refrigerator at all the things he buys, as though you're cataloging items in your head."

"Was it…that obvious?" Stephanie asked, resting her head in her arms, "Oh…I'm an open book, aren't I?"

"You're not an open book," Maxim said, making Stephanie look up at him, "I'm a Psychologist, I've mastered the art of reading people, among other things. So, let me give you some advice, I think you're going to need it: Take it slow, nice and slow, fall in love with each other, I'm telling you the length of the objective is worth the reward you'll receive at the end of the journey."

Stephanie nodded her head and looked over to Maxim. That's what she'll do, take it nice and slow. That's some of the best advice she had ever been given.

"Thank you," Stephanie said softly, looking over to the man, a smile on her face, "So, are you and Carlos close friends?"

"Yes," Maxim said, as Stephanie got up and got the coffee pot, "My little Diesel has an infatuation with his daughter, and it's driving the poor man wild."

Stephanie chuckled and said, "I know it is, the poor man, he talks a great deal about the punk who's trying to steal his daughter…."

Stephanie leaned forward and said, in a hushed voice, "He must tell you about his love life, then."

"Oh no you don't!" Maxim said, pouring himself a cup of coffee, "No, you can't make me say anything! I'm not telling you who Ranger likes! As he friend , it's my duty to keep his secrets!"

"And as his friend, you need to tell other people his said secrets," Stephanie said, pouring herself a cup o coffee, "Come on, Maxim, please?"

"No," Maxim said, with a chuckle, "I'm an ethical man, you can't get anything out of me, Miss. Stephanie."

Stephanie pouted but then nodded her head, "Good, that means you're a good friend then."

Maxim nodded his head and said, "Plus, I'm a psychologist, I keep secrets for a living. So, did Ranger tell you all about the little enrichment program he put in place at Heidi and Diesel's school?"

"Maybe a little, I do know that he likes to stalk there sometimes," Stephanie said with a giggle, sipping her coffee, "Tell me, has he come up with something for the children yet?"

"I don't know, I'll ask him now," Maxim said, just as Ranger came in to the kitchen with Diesel on his shoulders, "Ranger! Have you come up with something for the children for their enrichment program?!"

Ranger looked at the two, sitting at the table, stony face. He then turned to Diesel and then back to the two at the table and said, "I knew I forgot to do something…."

"Well, it's bad to think on an empty stomach," Diesel said, looking over to Ranger, "You need to feed me!"

"Me too…." Heidi said, walking into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes and clutching Harriet the Ferret close to her, "Papi! I want bacon again…"

"Heidi!" Diesel said, sliding off of Ranger's shoulders and running over to the girl and hugging her tightly, "I missed you! How was your trip?! That's what Deda told me, that you went on a trip, how was it!"

"Good," Heidi muttered sleepily, letting go of Diesel and then walking over to Stephanie and climbing in her lap, "Morning Miss. Stephanie…." burying her face in Stephanie's neck and hugging her tightly.

"Morning, sweetie," Stephanie said, as Sammy shifted in her arms, "Looks like someone woke up early, do you want to go back to sleep after breakfast?"

"No…" Heidi said, looking up at Stephanie, "Play day with Diesel and Miss. Stephanie…."

"Well okay then," Stephanie said, kissing Heidi on her cheek, "I'll play with both you and Diesel, since I don't have to go into the shop today."

"Oh boy!" Diesel said sitting at the kitchen table, a smile on his face, "We're going to have so much fun, Miss. Stephanie!"

Maxim looked over to Ranger, who was making breakfast. The two men gave each other looks and then Maxim smiled and inclined his head slightly to Ranger. Stephanie would be a good addition to Casa De Manoso.

"First off, we're going to eat breakfast and then Heidi and I are going to get washed up and dressed," Stephanie said, as Heidi turned in her lap, "We'll go out and play, it's going to be such a nice day!"

"Can we move The Great Pumpkin up to the front of the house?" Heidi asked, turning to Ranger.

Ranger nearly dropped the butter on the floor. Fuck, he forgot all about the blasted Great Pumpkin, and even though it was hollowed out, it was still heavy.

"We'll work on it," Ranger said, ignoring the booming laughter from Maxim and the giggles from Stephanie.

Stupid Great Pumpkin….

TBC…..

* * *

Sorry about the short chapter, had to throw it in before I went on my long ass class trip today. Please leave a review, they tend to make me write faster!


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20, Enjoy! Sorry about the delay, I'm so tired...~n~

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 20

Please Review? Owo

Oh hey, so, lately I've been putting in the name Sammy, ignore that, I'm writing like...two other stories right now and things seem to merge sometimes...

* * *

"The Great Pumpkin is pretty big," Stephanie said, as she helped Ranger carry it to the front porch, "Where'd you get him?"

"The pumpkin patch, Babe," Ranger said, making Stephanie blush, "Heidi saw him, gave me the puppy stare and I was a goner."

"Geez, who knew that a wide eyed look can have you folding like a lawn chair?" Stephanie giggled as they set the pumpkin on the porch.

"Not just any wide eyed look, only my Bella can have me turning into mush that easily," Ranger chuckled, looking over to Stephanie, "I have a strong will, Babe, I can deflect any look."

Stephanie made sure to catalog that in the back of her head. She'll have to see if he'll be saying that same thing to her, once she tried to the look on him. That had Stephanie all giddy on the inside, she felt like a love struck teenager! She was infatuated with Carlos. She was in love with the man and the child that came with him! Stephanie smiled at Carlos but yelped as Diesel and Heidi came barreling out the house and over to The Great Pumpkin.

"Papi, where's his face?!" Diesel asked, looking up at Ranger, "You forgot his face!"

"Yup, you did, Papi," Heidi said leaning down and looking inside the pumpkin's hollowed shell, "How can we light him up, if he doesn't have a face?!"

Ranger shook his head and said, "Silly of me, I did forget his face, well, let's wipe the doodles on his face off and we'll cut out his face."

Heidi and Diesel grabbed the cloth that Ranger had grabbed from inside the house and then began to wipe the marker off the surface of the pumpkin. Once the pumpkin was nice and clean, Ranger grabbed the carving knife and asked, "So, a happy face, right?"

"Right, Papi," Heidi said, looking over to Diesel, who nodded his head as well, "A happy face, or else he won't bring presents to us!"

"Oh, so, The Great Pumpkin is like Santa Claus?" Stephanie asked, sitting down on the steps of the porch, "Or is he someone else?"

Diesel and Heidi ran over to Heidi and sat down beside her, cuddling up to her. Heidi looked over to Stephanie and said, "Well, Miss. Stephanie, The Great Pumpkin is a giant pumpkin that brings gifts and toys to all the good little boys and girls on Halloween!"

"Mhmm, we saw him class last week," Diesel said, placing his head on Stephanie's shoulder, "Though, we need to write a list to him, with what we want, Heidi!"

"Well, I know what I want him to bring me," Heidi said, looking over to Diesel, a small smile on her face, "I asked Mister Star as well for the same thing, but I can't tell you, it's a secret."

Diesel leaned over to look at Heidi, "Aw, why can't you tell me?!" he asked, pouting.

"It might not come true!" Heidi said, crossing her arms and glaring at the boy, "And I want it to come true!"

"You can tell me, I promise not to tell anyone!" Diesel said earning a head shake from Heidi, "Come on Heidi! I'm going to marry you one day, we can't keep secrets from one another!"

Stephanie heard Carlos stumble in the back ground and cruse softly to himself. She giggled and turned to see Carlos glaring at the pumpkin as he cut out the face. Oh he really didn't like that when Diesel said things like that. Poor Carlos, wrapped so tightly around Heidi's tiny pinky that he formed a tight coil.

"I told you, Diesel, that I'm marrying Papi, since I love him the most," Heidi said, getting up and going over to her father, "I love you, Papi!"

Ranger chuckled and hugged Heidi, looking over to Diesel, "I love you too, Bella."

Stephanie hid her snort of laughter as Ranger stuck his tongue out at Diesel. Diesel himself stuck his tongue out at Ranger and then said, "Heidi, come on, let's go play!"

"Kay!" Heidi said, letting go of Ranger and running over to Diesel, "Let's go play in my house!"

Heidi's house was a miniature model of the house she and Ranger lived in. It had plumbing, electricity and a working kitchen, though there was no stove in there. The house was located in the backyard, in its own little garden. Heidi was one spoiled little girl!

Heidi and Diesel ran down the stairs and ran into the backyard. Stephanie giggled and said to Ranger, "Oh my goodness, you are so adorable, Carlos, you're jealous of Diesel!"

"I am not," Ranger said, glaring at Stephanie, "He's only four, his marriage thoughts are flighty and at best last for only a few moments."

"But, they do come back, don't they?" Stephanie asked, looking at Ranger, who glared at Stephanie and went back to carving the pumpkin, "They do! See, Diesel's going to marry your child, I can see it happening."

"Please, don't say that!" Ranger said, dropping the knife in horror, "It's enough that his father is saying the same damn thing!"

Stephanie turned to the house, where Maxim sat in. He had declined coming out to help with the Great Pumpkin, since they had a bad history together. Stephanie shook her head and said, "You are a mess, Carlos."

"Babe," Carlos said looking at Stephanie, who shrugged and giggled again, "I'm trying to carve a pumpkin here…"

Stephanie got up and then made her way to the backyard to play with Heidi and Diesel. As she left Maxim came out the house and onto the porch, settling himself in the soft rocking chair. He turned to Ranger and said, "So, my friend, how are you going to plan out the enrichment program for the children?"

"Go to hell," Ranger said idly, turning to look at Maxim, "Why did you remind me of that?"

"Because, the other fathers need to know what we're doing!" Maxim said leaning back in his chair and glaring at Ranger, "Ranger, my friend, you need to get on this, now, it starts tomorrow."

"It starts _when_?!" Ranger asked, whipping his head around to give Maxim a look, "For the love all things…"

Maxim chuckled as Ranger mumbled a string of curse words, all in Spanish, "Look, I'll help you plan it out, it'll be only once a week, on random days, the children won't know about it, but Mr. Charles will."

That was a pretty smart idea, it would keep the kids excited and on their feet, "Okay, we can do that."

"Good!" Maxim said, with a smile, looking at Ranger, "Well, let me tell you who is doing what: I'm doing Children's Yoga, Toga offered to teach the children how to make sushi and Jeffery is bringing in supplies to make ceramics bowls and cups. What are you doing?"

Ranger frowned and sat up, looking thoughtful, what could he do with the children? He could teach them to cook Cuban dishes, or he could teach him some dance moves, or he could stick with his guns and do something that dealt with security.

Better stick with security.

"Self-defense," Ranger said, suddenly, looking up at Maxim, "I'll teach the children self-defense."

"Wonderful!" Maxim said with a chuckle, looking over to Ranger, "You know, the other fathers thought you would do a boot camp, since Heidi told us that you are a retired Colonel in the military."

"I'm sure she did," Ranger said as he finished making the face on the pumpkin, "There, it's done, where are the runts, their Great Pumpkin is done."

Maxim leaned back in his seat and asked, "So, how was last night, Ranger? You know, Heidi told me that you took her and Miss. Stephanie to New York City for the afternoon."

"It was pretty nice," Ranger said, sitting back and looking at Maxim, a smile on his face, "Stephanie….it's almost scary as to how easy she seems to fit in. Heidi loves her to bits, I've never seen her get so attached to a woman like that, it's almost as if Stephanie's her mother. Of course, she needs a woman figure in her life, and Stephanie seems like a great person to fill that role, hell, even her friends are good with Bella, she's friend with a lawyer named Brittany and-"

"Brittany!" Maxim said, sitting up in his seat, "Let me guess, Brittany Small, ja?"

"Ja….wait, how do you know Brittany?" Ranger asked, making Maxim chuckle at the question.

"She's our estate lawyer and my wife is her FBI buddy, that's why she's in the office now," Maxim said looking over to Ranger, "She's a handful, I'll give you that, but she always wins her cases, I can't trust anyone else with our properties and estates."

"It's a small world after all," Ranger said looking down at the pumpkin, "It's not the most handsome Pumpkin, but, it'll do."

"Mhmm," Maxim said with a smile, getting up and hobbling over to the pumpkin, "It's a nice looking foot breaker, well, go get the children, they'll be happy to see this thing."

TBC….

* * *

I had to toss something out there, damn it, but I've been running on empty all day long yesterday and today, I'm worse than burned out, I'm a pile of carbon dust...it's been so tiring this week, and it has yet to begin! Next week, this time, no more school until September! Bear with me, people, it'll get better for me soon! Please leave a review, they make me write faster...hint...hint...


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21, enjoy! Sorry about not posting, I tool some advice from some of my reviewers, and re-charged. I almost feel human again, lol! Next week, though, I'll be updating left and right! For now, enjoy this short chapter, longer ones are sure to follow soon!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter one

Please, Review? OwO

* * *

_A Mommy For Papi And Me_

_Chapter 21_

* * *

Monday morning came too early, in Stephanie's opinion. She was woken up by the sounds of Carlos trying to get his child out of bed.

"Bella, it's 7 in the morning, time to wake up," She could hear him say to Heidi.

"…..no….m'tired," Heidi responded back to him.

Stephanie chuckled softly and sat up in the bed. Today would be a busy day, Carlos had told her that his men went through her house to check things out. Nothing important had gone missing, but it seemed that whoever ransacked her house had been looking for something important. Brittany had called them and told them that it could have been the Pit Of Snakes looking for some information about the money Steve had stolen from them.

Stephanie would be going over to her house to look at the damage and then she would be talking to her insurance company and then either seeing about selling her town home or getting better security. She felt as if she would never be safe in her home again. The thought of some other people, going through her things and invading he privacy, it had her shivering with chills. It would be a long time before Stephanie would feel safe in her home.

Stephanie looked up from her train of thought as the door to her room opened and Heidi came stumbling in, with a brush and some hair ties, her eyes half closed with sleep, dressed in a cute fall sweater dress and tights.

"Miss Stephanie, can you put my hair up today?" Heidi asked, clambering on the bed and cuddling up beside Stephanie, "Papi's making breakfast and I like it when you do my hair."

Stephanie smiled and lifted Heidi in her lap saying, "I only brushed your hair once, it couldn't have had that much of a lasting effect on you."

Stephanie brushed Heidi's hair in silence, feeling Heidi's head nod off as she fell asleep again. Stephanie chuckled and said softly, "Heidi, is this how you behave every school morning?"

"I'm so tired…" Heidi said, leaning back on Stephanie's chest, "I wake up after I get breakfast….I hope we get bacon again…"

"You can't eat bacon all the time," Stephanie chided Heidi as she finished her hair, "I bet Papi is making you oatmeal and some fruit today, for breakfast.

"Aww," Heidi sighed, turning to look up at Stephanie, "Not right…"

Stephanie chuckled and then got up from the bed, picking Heidi up in her arms. Heidi wrapped herself around Stephanie and then Stephanie carried her downstairs to the kitchen. Sure enough, instead of bacon, there was yogurt, bagels and fruit and turkey sausage for breakfast. Carlos was dressed for business today, in a black power suit. Carlos smiled at Stephanie and Heidi and said, "Come on, Bella, time for breakfast."

Stephanie sat Heidi in her booster seat and then went over to the coffee pot to pour herself a cup of coffee. Carlos turned to Stephanie and asked, "Babe, what are you doing today?"

"Going to my house and talking to my insurance agent and Brittany, if I can find her," Stephanie said putting natural sugar cane in her coffee, "And then I'm going down to the shop before we meet up again to talk to the FBI."

"Here," Carlos said, handing Stephanie a set of keys, "These are keys to the house, so you can leave at your leisure."

Stephanie took the keys saying, "Thank you," before she sipped her coffee, "So, meetings today?"

"Yup," Carlos said fixing Heidi's meal for her, "We don't have to worry about Heidi this afternoon, she's going home with Sakura and her father today, after they make their sushi."

"Oh, well she's going to have some fun today!" Stephanie said, as Heidi shoved grapes in her mouth, "Are you going to have a fun day, Heidi?"

"Mmhmm," Heidi said looking up at Stephanie as she ate her grapes, slowly waking up, "Sakura has a trampoline, and I'm gonna jump on it!"

Stephanie smiled and sat down at the table with a bagel and her coffee, eating her meal with Heidi who chatted happily about school. Carlos sat at the kitchen table with his breakfast and chatted with Heidi. 20 minutes later, Heidi was sliding out her chair and pulling her fuzzy boots on while Carlos grabbed her jacket.

"Bye, Miss. Stephanie!" Heidi said, hugging Stephanie tightly, "I won't see you until dinner time, but I'm going to tell everyone at school about you!"

Stephanie laughed as Heidi hugged her again and ran over to Carlos, who held her pink Hello Kitty backpack. Carlos looked up at Stephanie and said, "I'll see you at noon?"

"You sure will," Stephanie said, as the father and daughter duo let to the garage, "Have a good day you two!"

"Have a good day, Miss. Stephanie!" Heidi said, before the garage door closed shut.

Stephanie leaned back in her seat and smiled, sipping her coffee, she could get used to school mornings likes this.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"So, how was your weekend?" Lula asked, as she walked into the shop, holding a pink box full of doughnuts, "I mean, you spent it with Papi, there must have been some sexy time."

Stephanie scoffed from counter and said, "As if! Lula, we're not jumping the sack together, though, if it's any consolation….he does call me Babe now!"

Lula squealed loudly and dropped the doughnuts on the counter, "Girl…you know what this means?!"

"Not really, but, what?!" Stephanie asked Lula who giggled loudly.

"It means, he laying his claim on you, girl, he wants you, Stephanie, and he's going to get you, right?" Lula asked, opening the doughnut box and pulling out a lemon filled one.

"Right…?" Stephanie said, looking unsure, "I mean, but …if we're going to get together, it's going to be nice and slow, Lula, I'm not jumping in on this, Carlos is a fine man and a wonderful father."

"And you'll be a fine addition to that wonderful family," Lula complimented Stephanie, making her blush deeply, "You'll be one fine mama, Stephanie."

Stephanie smiled and looked up as the UPS man came in with several boxes, "Oh, this must be all the new items. I ordered some new children stuff, since they seem to be flying off the shelf."

"I know," Lula said, as she and Stephanie tore through the boxes to take out merchandise, "These are so cute Stephanie!"

Not only had Stephanie ordered more Hello Kitty things, she had ordered Batman things as well, Batman undies for boys and girls, batman tank tops, batman robes and batman boxers for men. Stephanie couldn't wait to sell these things.

"Oh, this afternoon, Lula, or website developer is coming over, I got a good deal on our website developer, she's supposed to be awesome!" Stephanie said as she broke down boxes, "Soon, we'll be making a boatload of money from the people who only shop online!"

"Damn skippy," Lula said placing the boxes in the back of the store, "Once that site is up, I'm giving the website address to all my clients. I showed them set I got here, and they were wanting the same thing, but they don't like coming to Trenton much. "

"They come here for you, why can't they come see me while they're here for you?" Stephanie asked, giving Lula a look, "I'm not that far from your shop!"

"I tell them that all the time, but they don't care, plus, people online tend to buy more than they would usually do when they're physically in the shop," Lula said, nodding her head, as the door to the shop opened and Brittany came in, dressed in a floor length fall dress, "Damn girl, what is that dress?"

"I don't know, it's Gucci, or Prada, or whatever, it's as legit as it's ever going to be, a gift from a past boyfriend, let me tell you, I ain't about to spend 5k on a damn dress," Brittany said, sitting down on the couch and pawing through the clothes, "Oh…these are cute!"

"Where's Lester?" Stephanie asked as Brittany held up a pair of Batman boxers/briefs, "I know you didn't sneak out, did you?"

"No, Lester's shaking up a man that had been us, I think it was someone telling him that his taillight was out, it was out when I walked behind it." Brittany said lightly, "I told him to take it easy on the poor soul, but he never listens to me, when it comes to my safety."

Stephanie and Lula rolled their eyes at Brittany, who held up a pair of Hello Kitty Panties, "Hey, why aren't these in my size?! I would love to wear these panties!"

"Put those down, Brittany!" Stephanie said with a glare, making Brittany toss them down, "Since you're here, you can help us tag and stock the children's area, I have my designer making underwear for boys and girls, I think they'll be a hit."

"Oh goody, you can have Diesel and Heidi model them," Brittany said, making Stephanie drop what she was doing and turn to look at the woman, "Uh…I haven't done anything yet….?"

"No, but you've given me a good idea," Stephanie said with a smile, sizing Brittany up and down, "So….Brittany you're a medium, aren't you?..."

"Why are you looking at me like that?!" Brittany asked as Stephanie advanced on her, "Oh dear, please! Have mercy!"

TBC…

* * *

What is Stephanie going to do with the poor woman?! Please leave a review, they make me write faster...hint...hint...


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22, enjoy! econd chapter in one day?! I might be getting my mojo back!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? owo

* * *

_A Mommy For Papi and Me_

_Chapter 22_

* * *

"What's wrong with Brittany?" Valarie asked Stephanie, watching as Brittany giggled occasionally, covering her face and spinning round in her chair, "I've never seen her look like this!"

"Stephanie done made her ego grow," Lula sighed, watching Brittany act silly, "Stephanie asked Brittany to model her things for the online website."

"I'm going to become a star!" Brittany sighed, a smile on her face, "A world famous star! I'll be on the cover of _Vogue_!"

"I'm going to bust your bubble, sweetness," Lester said, plucking Brittany's nose, "But, you will never be on the cover of _Vogue_, sorry."

Everyone in the conference room laughed out loud and then went silent as Carlos walked in, with Tank and two women. One woman was a blue eyed, red head, tall woman wearing a black suit and holding a suit case. She was a serious looking woman, though the seriousness vanished as she eyed the plate of pastries on the conference room table.

"OH! APPLE PUFFS! MY FAVORITE!" She squealed, jumping on the table and eating said pastry.

"Damn it, Vladimir, get it together!" The second woman,a blond haired green eyed woman snapped, crossing her arms and sitting down, "We have other things to worry about."

The red haired woman sat down, with a huff and said, "No fun at all…"

"Oh my goodness, it's Diesel's mother," Stephanie said, with a giggle, making the woman look over to her, "I don't want to blab, but Maxim snuck out Sunday to go over to Carlos's house."

The woman rolled her eyes and said, "That man…he's always going behind my back and trying to hurt himself, lifting a pumpkin up all by himself, can you believe that."

Stephanie looked over to Carlos, who turned his head and sat down beside Stephanie. Stephanie found out that Carlos was the one to aid in the breakage of Maxim's foot. Diesel's mother looked around and said, "Well, let's start with introductions, I am Beverly Vladimir, second in command at the FBI, and this here, is the head hancho of the FBI, Jeanne Ellen Borrows."

The blond woman, Jeanne, stood up and said, "Thank you, Vladimir, as you all know, the POS, or the Pit of Snakes, has targeted you, due in part because your husband literally sold you off to them, if something were to happen to their money. We've moved Steve into high security federal prison and you are in a safe house. "

Jeanne was talking to Valarie who nodded her head and slumped forward on the table. Beverly leaned over and placed a hand on Valarie's shoulder, "Hey now, we're going to protect you, the POS aren't going to get to you, okay?"

"I'm more concerned for the girls," Valarie sighed, looking over to Beverly, "They're at their school and are protected by these men who gave up their time to do so, but what if it's not enough?"

"It will be enough, and if you feel the need to, we'll pull the girls out of school and put them another school, in fact, we could put them in Heidi's school, if you wanted to. It's an international school, from Preschool all the way to high school, it's small and the school is our client," Carlos said looking over to Valarie, who looked thoughtful, "It would be safer, since the school is private and it's so small."

Valarie sighed and then nodded her head, "The girls won't like the change, they've gone through so many changes at once right now, but if it keeps them safe, we'll put them in the school."

Stephanie smiled and said, "From what I heard from Heidi, the school is great, the girls will love it, and they'll be exposed to so many different cultures as well, that'll make them well rounded."

Valarie smiled at Stephanie and said, "That sounds like a good thing then."

Jeanne coughed and said, "Okay, ladies and gents, we'll get on with the topic at hand right now, and that's the POS and their motives…"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Babe," Carlos asked, after the meeting was over, "What are you doing for lunch?"

Lula and Brittany coughed loudly at Stephanie and then made loud excuses about being busy with things. Stephanie glared at them both and then turned to Carlos, "Oh, I'm doing nothing, why?"

"Come with me out to lunch, there's this nice little café that I know you would love," Carlos said with a smile, that made Stephanie all fluttery on the inside, "I'll pay."

"You had me at 'I'll pay,'" Stephanie said, grabbing Carlos's hand and letting him lead her to the elevator.

Carlos took her to a little café that was situated in a bohemian based shopping center. It sat in between a holistic crystal shop and a tea shop. The menu was off the wall so Stephanie ordered the fish and Ranger ordered a salad.

"This place is kind of cool," Stephanie said as wisp of smoke from the incense burner wafted over to them, "I've never been to a place where the tables were low and the chairs are beanbags."

Carlos shrugged his shoulders and said, "Heidi loves this place, the owner has a cat, and she plays with it all the time, yes, Babe, this is another place Heidi and I love to spend time at."

It was almost comical, watching Carlos sip his green tea, sitting on a tye-dyed beanbag chair, dressed in a power suit.

"Oh, well, I hope the food is fantastic then," Stephanie said with a smile, sipping her raspberry tea, "Oh, this is very tasty, Carlos, thank you for taking me out to lunch."

"It's no problem, Babe, plus, it gives us time to talk to one another, without a child running around," Carlos said with a smile, making Stephanie blush, "So, how are things at the shop, I heard that you're going to use Brittany as one of your lingerie models."

"Although she's short, in the fashion industry standards, she has a great body and what I'm looking for, is for models to have an everyday type body. I mean, I was looking at some of the models for those high end places and I was thinking that none of my customers were ever going to look like a playboy model or a victoria secret angel. I asked Lula to model some of the new plus size items that my designer is making," Stephanie said finishing her drink, "I want to show these women buying my products that they're beautiful and lovely just the way they are, and that they don't have to live up to a superficial standard that is portrayed to them all the time."

Stephanie jumped as Carlos grabbed her hand and gripped it tightly. She blushed as he gave her a dazzling smile and said, "Babe, you are a good business woman and role model, I hope Heidi gains some of that from you."

Stephanie smiled and said, "I hope so too, speaking of Heidi, Carlos, I was wondering, if you could let me have Heidi model some of the new children underwear that my clothing designer is making for me."

Carlos blinked and then chuckled and said, "Well, we'll ask her tonight, maybe she'll like that job, she really enjoys the Hello Kitty underwear you gave her, I had to tell her not to show all her friends that she's wearing them."

Stephanie laughed out at what Carlos told her. She ended in giggles and said, "Oh boy, I bet that Diesel could weasel his way into seeing her panties."

Carlos choked on his drink, making Stephanie get up and hit him on his back. Carlos coughed and then looked up at Stephanie with a glare, "You did that on purpose, woman…"

Stephanie giggled and said, "Oh goodness, I just love ruffling your feathers, Carlos," sitting down beside the man, "Especially when it comes to Diesel."

Carlos sighed and said, "I'm going to watch out for you, Babe, you have a mischievous side and you seem to like to show it, you're just as bad as Heidi, sometimes."

Stephanie stuck her tongue out at Carlos and said, "You're just mad because you let a four year old press your buttons."

Carlos rolled his eyes and then he said, "He doesn't press my buttons much, I have to watch out for my Bella, she's my only girl and I need to watch out for her."

Stephanie nodded her head and said, "Yeah, you do, that Diesel, he's claiming his mark on her, he calls Heidi Kitten from time to time, it's so adorable!"

"He calls her what?!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Uh, Stephanie, when did you get hot men who frisk your customers?!" Sally Preston asked walking into the shop a dreamy look on her face, "Some hot man just frisked me, I feel like I need a cigarette…"

Brittany bristled from her spot on the couch and said, "That would be Lester, pardon me, ladies, I need to go and have a nice chat with my boyfriend about touching people…."

Stephanie shook her head and then turned to Sally, "Sally, thanks for coming, how is the website looking?"

"Great, though, we're missing something….pictures!" Sally said, pulling out her laptop and showing Stephanie the website, "Of course you have pictures of the clothing, but we would like….models.."

"I have two models and I'm looking to get two more models, children models for the children line that I want to start," Stephanie said to Sally, earning a squeal from Sally.

"Oh! That's so exciting Stephanie," Sally said with a broad smile looking through her purse and taking out a business card, "Here's the number for a photographer, she's awesome at what she does, even more so with young children."

Stephanie smiled and took the card and placed it in her wallet, "Thanks, though we have two grown models, one of them is the biggest child out there, worse than the two children."

Stephanie looked up as Brittany walked back into the shop, with Lester trailing behind her. He looked as if he had been chastised by the lawyer. Brittany glared at the man and said, "And don't go frisking people, Santos, you can only frisk me!"

"Yes ma'am," Lester said, sitting down beside Brittany who smiled and sat back down.

Stephanie looked over to Sally and said, "That's the childish model we're going to deal with…."

"Do you think I should quit my job and become a full time model?" Brittany asked, turning to look at Lester who shook his head, "Why not!?"

"You're not a model, Brittany, you're a lawyer!" Lester said looking up at Brittany, who puffed up and glared at the man, "You're too smart to be a model."

"I'm going to go and quit my job, because I am going to be a supermodel!" Brittany said, striking a pose.

"You're modeling panties, it's not real modeling," Lester said lightly, leafing through a magazine, oblivious to what Brittany was about to do to him.

"Why you little….!" Brittany growled, before hitting Lester against the head with a black bra, "That-is-real-modeling!"

"Hey now woman! That under wiring hurts!" Lester whined looking at Brittany as she beat him.

Sally shook her head and turned to Stephanie, "She can even handle adult children….but, this may be something new to her…"

"Oh yeah," Stephanie said as Brittany beat Lester with her purse, "She's the biggest child out of them all…."

TBC…

* * *

Someone asked me if I was close to finishing this tale...by the looks of it, it might be one of my big stories, sorry guys...please leave a review, they tend to make me write faster...hint...hint...


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23, enjoy! Sorry about the delay, I'm packing up everything in my dorm room, and it's taking forver and a day!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? Owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 23

* * *

Ranger picked up Heidi from Sakura's house a few hours earlier than plan and Heidi had shown him his displeasure, loudly.

"I wanna go back to Sakura's house! We were having fun!" Heidi cried from the back of Ranger's Cayenne tears pouring down her face, "I wanna go back!"

Ranger hadn't told Heidi why she had to leave her friend's house early but, maybe if he told her why now, she'd stop crying, "Bella, we have to go see someone, someone who knows you very well."

Heidi stopped crying and looking at the back of Ranger's head. "Is it Miss. Stephanie?"

Ranger smiled and shook his head, "No…guess again…."

"Is it Grandpa Manns?" Heidi asked, wiping her eye.

"No, one more guess and then you have to wait," Ranger said watching Heidi pout in her seat.

"Uh….is it Diesel?!" Heidi asked, perking up, "I wanna see Diesel!"

Ranger winced and had to hide the glare he could feel growing on his face, "No it's not Diesel, speaking of….you didn't show him the undies you're wearing, right?"

"Nope, I didn't Papi," Heidi said with a smile, looking at Ranger, "But I told him that when we have another playdate, I would wear them and then show them!"

Ranger had to choke down the scream he had roaring out his throat. He smiled up into the rearview mirror at Heidi and said, "Bella, we need to have a talk," His voice extremely tight.

"What about, Papi?" Heidi asked innocently, blinking her large eyes, "Are we going to talk about the candy I took from your secret stash?"

What the-?! How did she know about that?! Ranger gripped the steering wheel tightly, cutting his eyes. No wonder why his prized Swiss chocolate dipped wafers were so low, the little sneak in the back had been in them. But they were locked up tight in his candy safe, how did she get in them?

Apparently, Heidi had picked up some of his traits, because she smiled and said, "Papi, I know how to open your safe, it's three numbers that you need to put in and I put them in, 56, 35, and 12, there's lots of candy in there!"

Ranger smiled and said, "You're a smart little kid, you know that, Heidi?" looking back at his child.

"Mhmm," Heidi said, nodding her head and then she said, "Oh Papi…Mr. Charles gave me a note to give to you!"

Heidi pointed to the note pinned on her jacket and Ranger frowned, he hadn't seen that before, oh well, he'll read it when he got home. Though, for now, they were going to see someone near and dear to Ranger.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Manoso, you look the same," Jeanne Ellen Borrows said, hugging the man tightly and then sitting down in the booth , looking at Heidi, "Hello, Miss. Heidi, you don't remember me, but I remember you well."

Heidi blinked, looking up the pretty blond woman, "You do? How, I've never seen you before!"

"I met you when you were a little baby," Jeanne said with a smile, leaning forward and making a point to show Heidi how small she had been, "You were no bigger than this!"

Heidi smiled and said, "That's really little! Papi," Heidi turned to Ranger, "Was I really that little?"

"You were, Bella," Ranger said with a smile, as a waitress came to take their orders. They were in a little bakery/café, in some little small town. Ranger looked over to Jeanne, who was chatting to Heidi. The woman had been meaning to come and see the child, but things had come up and tied her up for ages. Now, however, that she was in charge of the FBI, she was granted more freedom and had told Ranger that she was taking advantage of that freedom and Ranger couldn't keep her away from Heidi.

After all, she did give birth to her.

In a fit of desperation to save Ranger from himself, Jeanne, Tank, Arthur decided that maybe if Ranger had another life to look after, then he would stop his self-destructive ways. In a move so unlike himself, Arthur pulled some strings and obtained the eggs his daughter had frozen and Ranger's sperm, all illegally of course, but the trio weren't thinking about laws and morals, they had been thinking about a man on the edge. Jeanne had carried Heidi and had given birth to her in a private hospital in New England. Once Ranger had gotten it together and decided to raise Heidi, Jeanne had told him to send her photos and the like. Ranger knew that she had been quite excited to see the child she had carried, the child that had half the make-up of her late best friend and partner.

"I go to this little school and I'm friends with all my classmates!" Heidi chirped as she sipped her chocolate milk, "And there's this one class mate, his name is Diesel and he's my bestest friend, he says that he's gonna marry me but I keep telling him that I'm marrying my Papi, since I love him."

"Oh, well, he better hurry up and understand that, I bet your Papi doesn't like it when he tells you that he's going to marry you," Jeanne said with a chuckle, looking up at Ranger, who shook his head a glint in his eye.

"He's never going to stop," Heidi said, perking up at the sight of the apply puff she ordered, "Mmm! Yummy!"

They ate in silence, Jeanne her cake, Heidi her puff and Ranger his bland bran muffin. Heidi had giggled to Jeanne that her father was a health nut. Jeanne agreed quickly, making Ranger roll his eyes. After they finished with their snacks, Heidi turned to Ranger and asked, "Papi, can Auntie Jeanne come with us to our house?"

Ranger looked over to Jeanne who smiled and nodded her head to Heidi, "She sure can, Bella, if you want to get in your car, Jeanne, and follow us home."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

When Stephanie walked into the house, she was greeted by a happy Heidi, who was babbling about her 'Auntie Jeanne.'

"She's so cool!" Heidi said with a smile as she led Stephanie into the family room, "We played with her I-Pad and she has the coolest games ever!"

Auntie Jeanne was the FBI agent that gave them all the information on the Pit Of Snakes. Auntie Jeanne, the pretty Blond women that Carlos knew extremely well, extremely well enough to chuckle and laugh with her and sit close to her on the couch.

"How was your day, Stephanie?" Carlos asked, as Stephanie walked into the family room with Heidi on her heels.

"Good, the website is almost finish, but we need to get the photos up there," Stephanie said sitting down on the arm chair, letting Heidi climb in her lap, "Heidi, I have a question for you."

"What, Miss. Stephanie?" Heidi asked, leaning back on the soft arms of the chair.

"Would you like to be a model for me?" Stephanie asked, Heidi making her eyes go big with amazement.

"What's a model?" Heidi asked softly, earning laughter from the three adults, "What?!"

"A model is someone who wears things, or hold items that are to be sold, it gives the items a more personal touch, people like it when they see other people using the items or wearing the clothes, you'll be the person wearing the new line of children under clothing that I'm creating."

Heidi's face broke out in a grin and she squealed, "Yes! I wanna be a model, Miss. Stephanie!" sliding out of Stephanie's lap and over to her father, "Papi! I'm gonna be a model and that way I don't need to show Diesel my Undies!"

Carlos sighed and picked up Heidi with a strained, "Bella…." Cuddling the girl close to his chest.

Heidi leaned over to Jeanne and said, "Auntie, Jeanne, I'm gonna be a model!"

"You'll be famous," Jeanne said with a chuckle, plucking Heidi from Carlos's arms, "Goodness, it's almost 7 at night, you must be starving, let's go make some dinner."

"Yeah! I want macaroni and cheese," Heidi said as Jeanne stood up, with her in her arms, "Papi makes good macaroni and cheese, you have to watch him make it, Auntie Jeanne, if you want yours to be as good as Papi's!"

Stephanie fought down the tight feeling in her stomach as she watched the trio head off into the kitchen. Did Carlos call Jeanne a pet name as well, was Jeanne his other Babe?! Stephanie shook her head, no, they hadn't acted like that during the meeting.

But, what was with that scene with Jeanne and Carlos on the couch looking so….intimate?

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"I'll put Heidi to bed," Stephanie said, as Heidi nodded off on her lap, "It's way past your bedtime, little girl."

"No it's not," Heidi yawned, wrapping herself around Stephanie's frame, "Not time for bedtime."

Stephanie giggled and said, "You can barely keep your eyes open!" getting up and carrying Heidi up the stairs, "Come on, I'll read you a story."

Jeanne smiled as Stephanie walked off and up the stairs. She turned to Ranger and said, "So, Manoso….it's been a while since we've seen each other…I didn't tell you earlier, but I'm still mad at you for stealing my partner from me."

Ranger and Jeanne chuckled softly and then Ranger said, "Let's go out and talk," standing up from the couch and leading Jeanne out onto the back porch.

They sat down on the bench and looked out at the dark sky, which were dotted with stars. Jeanne let out a sound and said, in a soft voice, "I miss her so much, Manoso, I used to curse you to hell and back again, for her death…."

Ranger nodded his head and looked over to Jeanne, who wrapped her arms around herself. His and Jeanne's relationship had been extremely rocky, before the death of his wife. It was a known fact that Jeanne and Heidi had been close, extremely close. When Ranger came around and Heidi began to date Ranger, Jeanne had openly expressed her anger and rage and she and Heidi had nearly ended their friendship. Ranger had to beg Jeanne to talk to Heidi, to get back with her and reconnect. After that, he and Jeanne had begun a shaky friendship which was nearly severed after the death of his wife. It became solid when Jeanne had confessed to him that she had carried his and Heidi's child to save him, because she had made a promise to Heidi, that should anything happen to her, she would look over Ranger and she did.

"I miss her too, Jeanne," Ranger said softly, looking at Jeanne, "Sometimes….I wished it had been me…"

Jeanne shook her head and said, "Don't say that, Manoso, shut up, we just need to continue on with our lives, and I can see you've continued on with a lady friend…"

Ranger smiled softly and said, "We're not together, Jeanne."

"But you want to be," Jeanne said with a shrug, not adding on that Stephanie wanted to be with him as well, "I think she's alright, Manoso, Heidi seems to love her, and that's all that really matters, Heidi's approval."

Ranger nodded his head and looked up at the sky. The two fell into a long period of silence and then Jeanne said, "She's good for you, Ranger, I can tell that, I approve as well…well, I need to go and get things done, tell Heidi that I had to go, will you."

Jeanne turned to Ranger and said, "Ranger, you're not a worthless piece of shit….."

Jeanne got up from the porch and made her way back into the house, leaving Ranger to his thoughts. He couldn't believe what Jeanne had just told him; she approved of Stephanie, and Jeanne had forgiven him for Heidi's death, in her own way.

Ranger shook his head and said, "Small miracles happen from time to time, don't they…."

TBC…

* * *

I smell some...Jealousy, yes I do...poor Stephanie...please leave a review, they tend to make me write faster...


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24, enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? owo

* * *

_A Mommy for Papi and Me_

_Chapter 24_

* * *

Ranger could have kicked himself in the butt, he had forgotten all about the note Heidi's teacher had pinned to Heidi's jacket! Ranger got up and made his way over to the child size coat rack and unpinned the note from the little blue jacket. He unfolded it and walked over to the kitchen table and sat down at it to read it. As he read the note, he frowned and re-read the note again.

_Dear Mister Carlos Manoso,_

_My name is Kyle Bigg, the director of the Applewood International School's program for the exceptionally gifted, the Stars Program. I'm writing to you to tell you that Heidi has been picked to begin the program at the beginning of the new year. She has proven that she has the capabilities to not only succeed in the program, but to go on and do bigger things. The students in the program go on to university before they are in high school. I would like to meet with you this Friday at noon to discuss the program and what Heidi has shown to be picked for the Stars programs._

_Thank you,_

_Kyle Bigg_

Ranger shook his head and chuckled, looking down at the note, he knew Heidi was sharp as a tack, her mother had been smart as well, and he wasn't an idiot either, you had to have a significant amount of intelligence to be a member of the special branches of the military. This person makes Heidi out to be some kind of genius.

"What's so funny?" Stephanie asked, coming down the stairs and into the kitchen, "An Inside joke?"

"No, Babe," Ranger said, giving Stephanie the note and letting her read it, "My daughter is too smart for her own good and they're placing her in a program so she can utilize that smartness."

Stephanie smiled and said, "Well, she is smart, I'll give you that," sitting down at the table, "So…Jeanne…"

"She's a good friend," Ranger said with a shrug, looking over to Stephanie, "I knew her for a while now, we're very close, I'm glad that she's wants to build up a relationship with Heidi, I wouldn't keep her away from the child, she deserves that much."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie felt something gnaw at her stomach, what had he meant when he said that Jeanne deserved that much?! Was Jeanne….Heidi's mother, and now she wanted to get back into the duo's lives. Stephanie could feel her heart constrict, she had to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. Carlos…was he secretly meeting Jeanne? Stephanie bit her lip and turned her head. It really didn't matter, she and Carlos were not together anyways, right? So she had no right to feel like this…

Stephanie got up from the table, saying, "I should go to sleep, I open up shop at 10…."

Stephanie let the kitchen in a rush, going upstairs and into her room, where she lay on her bed, wrapping the covers around her. Why did Jeanne have to come back into the lives of Heidi and Carlos?

Stephanie let out a sound and sat up in the bed, looking around the room. She couldn't stay here, now that Heidi's real mother wanted to be back in the picture. She would pack up her bags and go somewhere else, maybe to a hotel or somewhere else. She couldn't just stay here and watch as Carlos and Jeanne-

Stephanie let out a sob and then got up, packing up her things and placing them by the door. She would go to a hotel tonight, and then figure things out in the morning, maybe she would stay in the shop, until she could get her bearings together. She couldn't be around the man she was falling in love with and watch him fall back in love with the mother of his child.

Once the bedroom was empty of all her things, she carried them down the stairs and then entered the kitchen, looking at Carlos, who stood at the counter, looking at her. Carlos raised an eyebrow and asked, "Babe?"

"I-uh…I think it's time for me to find a different place to live at," Stephanie said, looking past Carlos's shoulder, "It would be for the best, Carlos."

"Babe, what's wrong, is anyone threatening you?" Carlos asked going over to Stephanie and grabbing her shoulders, making her jerk out of his grip.

"Please, Mr. Manoso, it's best if we keep our relationship at a business level, and so living in your home would not be professional ," Stephanie said softly, taking out the keys Carlos gave her, "Please, only contact me for business and the like, nothing personal."

Stephanie placed the keys on the counter and said, "Have a good night, Mr. Manoso."

Stephanie picked up her bags and quietly left the house, leaving the man, standing in the kitchen ,to wonder what in the hell just happened.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Oh my god!" Brittany exclaimed, running into the shop, carrying bags full of junk food, "Stephanie, sweetums, come here, let Mama Brittany take care of you."

Stephanie smiled sadly at Brittany and said, "Thank you," as Brittany pulled out all the junk food she bought for them, "You're an angel, where's Lester?"

"Oh, I left him at home, with the promise that I would only go right to the shop, since you have your own personal security hanging outside of it…oh my goodness, why didn't you tell me that you left the jackass earlier, you shouldn't have let this sit for a whole week!"

Had it been a whole week? Stephanie couldn't really tell. She had never been this hung up on a man, and for heaven's sake, they hadn't been dating. Why was she still feeling this low? She could honestly say that she missed Carlos and she missed Heidi as well. She couldn't help the bitter feeling that rose as she thought about Jeanne. She could bet money that Jeanne was in his house, making Heidi's lunches and putting the child to sleep. She could bet money that Jeanne was flirting with Carlos and trying to get back with him. She had no right to do so, she had left them alone and now she wanted to be back?!

"Calm down, Stephanie," Brittany said as she placed a hand on Stephanie's shoulder, "You're so tensed up, you need to calm down now, or else…"

Stephanie let out a sigh and looked over to Brittany who held up a doughnut. She smiled and took the doughnut from her friend and said, "Thank you, Brittany, what would I do without you?"

"Eat junk food with Lula," Brittany said with a giggle as Stephanie chewed her doughnut, "Come on, let's forget about men and their baby mommas and enjoy all these empty calories!"

Stephanie nodded her head and turned, as the sound of the door to the shop opened. Stephanie turned to welcome them but paused seeing Jeanne in the doorway, looking around.

Oh boy…

"You," Jeanne said, spotting Stephanie, "Have a nice store, but first, before I drop a pretty dime in this place, need to set you straight…"

Stephanie frowned and said, "What are you talking about?! Shouldn't you be back at Carlos's house, in his bed?!"

Jeanne rolled her eyes and said, "You both are dumb….first off, Stephanie, I'm a lesbian!"

Stephanie made a sound in the back of her throat looking at Jeanne, who rolled her eyes again. Brittany let out a sound and then walked over to Jeanne. She batted her eyelashes and cooed, "Am I your type?"

Jeanne looked down at Brittany and asked, "Are you offering?"

Brittany fluffed her hair and asked, "Maybe….." A smile on her face, "No…." she deflated, "I have a boyfriend...but, on a scale from 1 through 10….what am I?"

"Um….8.9," Jeanne said, holding one hand up and wiggling it, "You're a bit on the short side…but if you put some heels on, solid 9.5."

"You…" Stephanie said slowly, looking at Jeanne, "Aren't with Carlos?"

"No, ," Jeanne said, crossing her arms and glaring at Stephanie, "You two are a bunch of thick headed fools, and I'm not going to help out either of you! All I'm here to say is that I'm not with Carlos, nor do I want to be with him! I swear, surrounded by idiots! First, I get a call from Tank about Carlos moping and I have to go find the source of his moping; you!"

Jeanne leaned forward and said, in a soft voice, "You need to ask him about his past, if you want to be with him, Stephanie, yes, I know you want to be with him, it's written all over your face, man…okay, I've done enough good things for one day…."

Jeanne sighed and then looked around the place. She smiled and then asked, "So…I can buy things, right, because that corset is calling my name!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"I wish Miss. Stephanie would be back at the house," Heidi sighed as she colored a picture beside Ranger, "Papi, when is Miss. Stephanie coming back?"

"I don't think she's coming back," Ranger said, as he watched Heidi color, "It'll be okay, Bella."

"I wish she hadn't left, why did she leave?" Heidi asked looking up from her picture to look at Ranger, "Why, Papi?"

"I don't know," Ranger said with honesty. Looking thoughtful, "I really don't know…."

Ranger didn't know why Stephanie left. He was confused as to why Stephanie packed her bags and left, earlier this week. Had he done something, was someone after her?! Was she in danger, or...was she sick of him!?

Ranger ran a hand over his face and looked up as the door to the office opened and Kyle Bigg came walking out, a smile on his face. The man shook Ranger's hand and ruffled Heidi's curls.

"Mr. Manoso, please, come in with Heidi, and we'll talk about her being in the Stars Program," Kyle said ushering the two into the office, "Now, would you like some coffee, tea? Anything?"

"No thank you," Ranger said, as Kyle turned to Heidi and asked her if she wanted a juice box.

"Yes please," Heidi said, settling at the small children's table to color, "Thank you!"

Kyle gave Heidi her juice box and some snacks before Kyle turned to Ranger, "Aw yes, let me tell you about the Stars Program; it's a program that nurtures and matures the capabilities of certain students. Now we don't choose just any student, each student is tested through a rigorous system and only students that meet the criteria of the test are accepted into the program. Mr. Manoso, Heidi is reading at a 4th grade level and is able to easily solve math problems that belong in a 3rd grade class room."

Carlos's eyes widened and he said, "She's only 4, and she's reading at a level twice her age?!"

"She is, Mr. Manoso, Mr. Charles tells me she's fluent in Spanish as well, of course, that's from you're doing right?" Kyle asked, Ranger, earning a nod, "Well, we let the preschoolers are allow to visit different classes and in the language classes, Heidi pretty much is learning along with the 4th graders, we allow her to join the classes twice a week for a half-hour. We don't do IQ tests around, we consider it a form of institutionalization, but, she's well in the genius spectrum, maybe even past it. Heidi would thrive in the Stars program, we can even say by the time she's 10, she'll have university begging her to come to them."

Ranger turned to his child and then said, "I'm sure she'll like the program, can you tell me some of the things you do?"

"Enrichment, that's what the Star Program encourages with the students in it. We go on weekly trips, programs and learning events. This week, the 6th grade Stars are going to MIT to learning about electricity, cellular biology and atomic physics, they've been talking about this trip for a long time. Also, they learn at their own pace, yet they are active in their own classroom. We have high school Stars who not only have college degrees, but are working on their Masters right now."

Kyle leaned forward and said, "I must admit, Mr. Manoso, we've yet to have anyone younger than a 3rd grader in the program, but, we feel that Heidi would be better suited in this program, along with her regular classes."

Ranger chuckled and said, "Well, I can't say no to something like that, alright, Heidi will be apart of your Stars group."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Bella, why didn't you tell me that you were in the older student classes?" Ranger asked his child, as he drove home.

"Oh…I didn't know that you wanted to know, Papi!" Heidi said with a giggle, kicking her feet, "I go there all the time, Papi, and sometimes, the older children get mad at me cause I know the answers and they don't know it."

Ranger shook his head and chuckled, "Bella, you are so silly," pulling into the driveway and frowning at the little red Miata that was parked in the driveway.

"Miss. Stephanie!" Heidi said, bouncing in her seat, "It's Miss. Stephanie!"

"It sure is," Ranger said, parking the Cayenne and getting out of it, "Let's go see her."

The moment Ranger unbuckled Heidi, the child was running over to Stephanie, who had gotten out the car, "MISS. STEPHANIE! I MISSED YOU!"

Stephanie laughed out loud as Heidi hugged her legs. She wrapped her arms around Heidi's shoulders and then she said, "Hi, Heidi, how are you?"

"Good!" Heidi said, with a giggle, as Stephanie lifted her up in her arms, "I missed you so much…"

Heidi nuzzled Stephanie's neck as the woman walked over to Ranger. Ranger smiled at the two and then said, "Hey, Miss. Stephanie."

"I'd rather you called me Babe," Stephanie said softly to Ranger, hugging Heidi tightly, "Ranger...can we talk…about…maybe your past….the one that Jeanne wants me to know about…."

TBC….

* * *

Oh, the next chapter is going to be good! Please leave a review, they make me write faster!


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25, enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please Review?owo

* * *

_A Mommy For Papi And Me_

_Chapter 25_

* * *

"Go on and play, Bella," Ranger said to Heidi, who let go of her father's hand and ran over to the playground with a squeal.

"So, where is her mother?" Stephanie asked, sitting down on the bench beside the small playground, "Is she gone, did you divorce her?"

Ranger sighed and sat down beside Stephanie, looking over to where Heidi stood, playing on the monkey bars. He grabbed Stephanie's hand and squeezed it tightly, saying in a soft voice, "Stephanie, Heidi's mother has been dead for five years."

Ranger felt Stephanie's body tense up and he felt her gently grab at his hand. Stephanie leaned over to Ranger and whispered, "Carlos, I am so sorry, I didn't know…I never knew, I used to think that she abandoned you both! Oh my god, I feel like a jerk!"

Ranger placed a hand on Stephanie's and said, "Babe, it's okay, you didn't know that Heidi's mother had died. I didn't tell you, Stephanie, I never told you about her mother."

Stephanie felt tears well up in her eyes and a sob build up in her throat. Ranger let out a sound and said, "Babe, please…it's alright, don't cry," wiping the tears from Stephanie's eyes.

"I feel so bad," Stephanie said, shaking her head, "I was so angry at this woman, of a woman who is dead, who has been dead for so long…"

Ranger let out a sound and hugged Stephanie tightly, rubbing her back as the woman sobbed softly. Ranger pulled away from Stephanie and said, "Babe, it's alright, you didn't know, it's alright."

Stephanie wiped her eyes and let out a shaky sob, "I'm so sorry, Carlos….I..oh goodness!"

Ranger patted Stephanie knee and said, "I really don't tell that fact to anyone, it had been a sore spot for me for years…"

Ranger felt Stephanie's hand on his knee and then he said, "I bet you were wondering why Heidi's mother died five years ago, and yet, Heidi is four. "

"I was," Stephanie said softly, looking over to Heidi, who was hanging upside down on the pull-up bars, "Why….?

"Jeanne, Tank and Heidi's father decided that I needed saving from myself and so they took my sperm and Heidi's mother eggs and Jeanne implanted them in herself and had Heidi for me," Ranger said softly, looking out at Heidi, "And for that, "I'm eternally grateful for what they did for me. In all honesty Babe, if it wasn't for Jeanne, I would have been a dead a long time ago."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie held Carlos's hand as he told her about his past life. He had met Heidi's mother during a mission, she had been kidnapped by a terrorist group and Carlos had been ordered to get her. Their relationship bloomed after that. Carlos and Heidi's mother had gotten married a year after they met and spent nearly a good four years together, before Heidi was murdered by a man out for revenge.

"I changed into an animal, Babe," Carlos said softly, looking over to Stephanie, his eyes far away, "I went on a revenge hunt for my wife's killer, and when I found him, I had shown him the same mercy he had shown my wife…none."

Carlos growled and said, "Could you believe that that worm had begged me to spare his life, he offered me his children to spare his life…his own children to save his skin…I made sure he suffered for the idea of selling out his own children."

Stephanie felt Carlos tense up at the conversation they were having. It must have taken him so much for him to confess to Stephanie about his past life. It was taking a lot out of him to confess something that was so dark and extremely sensitive. Once Carlos got to the part about his wife's death, he was wound up so tight, she was afraid that he might snap from all the tension. He was trembling slightly, and looking into nothing, he was thinking about his past, his dark and tragic past.

Stephanie turned Carlos's head and whispered, "Hey, Carlos, Carlos, look at me…." making Carlos look into her blue eyes, "Carlos, it's okay, you're here, with me and your child, it's going to be alright…"

Carlos grabbed the hands on his cheeks and said, in a soft voice, "I know it's going to be alright, Stephanie, it's hard, to think about these types of things…I sometimes wish that I could have died, instead of Heidi's mother. She was…so special and she had her life ahead of her and it was stolen, by a man, no a coward who felt powerful when he got a gun."

"Hey," Stephanie said pulling Carlos's face down, "Hey, don't think of those things, you have a child to take care of, please, Carlos, please, for the sake of your child, don't dwell too long, I feel like a fool, for asking you that question and making you think of those horrible things again!"

"Babe, it felt good to tell you about everything," Carlos said with a smile, looking at Stephanie, "I mean, it's good to tell you about my past, to get a jumpstart on my future."

Stephanie let out a sound as Carlos pulled her forward and said, in a soft voice, "A future with you, maybe?"

"Maybe yes," Stephanie said with a smile, "But I need a kiss to seal the deal, yes?"

"Oh yes," Carlos said with a soft purr, "We do need to kiss to seal the deal, on the lips, of course…"

"Of course," Stephanie repeated, leaning in to kiss Carlos.

The two were about to press their lips together, but Carlos jerked back hearing Diesel's voice from across the park.

"KITTEN!" Diesel exclaimed, making Carlos look over and see the boy running over to his child, "I missed you Kitten!"

"Did he just call my Bella, Kitten?!" Carlos exclaimed, looking over to Stephanie, who was shaking her head and giggling at Carlos, "He did!"

Stephanie laughed out loud as Carlos got up and went to confront the 4 year old. She heard footsteps and then Maxim was sitting beside her, laughing along with her, as Diesel and Carlos had a stare down.

"Oh, I didn't know Ranger was that protective over his child," Maxim chuckled, watching Carlos berate Diesel for calling Heidi any type of nickname, "That is too cute, how are things with the both of you, Miss. Stephanie, this week I had my hands full with a depressed Ranger, he was very sad that you left."

"Oh, well, it was Carlos's friend who set me straight, she's a lesbian," Stephanie said with a smile, looking over to Maxim, "Which is good for me, because Carlos wants me in his life!"

"Good, he finally told you!" Maxim said, ignoring Stephanie's sputters, "I'm glad he confessed, he's been pining after you for two weeks, but, you remember, Miss. Stephanie, take it nice and slow."

"Yes, Maxim, Carlos and I will take it nice and slow," Stephanie said, watching Diesel stick his tongue out at Carlos and then grab Heidi's hand and lead her over to the jungle gym, "I can't say the same about your boy though, he's staked his claim on Heidi, and it's driving Carlos nuts!"

"I told that boy," Maxim said, shaking his head, watching Carlos stomp over to Diesel and swing his child over his shoulders and carry her off, "He's too young to be this infatuated."

"So, are there little quirks I should know about Carlos?" Stephanie asked, Maxim , earning a chuckle from the man.

"He tends to drift in and out of his thoughts and that gets him into a lot of things," Maxim said leaning forward, "Like the enrichment program for the children and a few other things.."

Stephanie shook her head as Heidi waved at Diesel as Carlos took her over to the other jungle gym, "That sounds like him, he seems to do that a lot, it must be the bad thing about being a parent, your mind tends to drift to your child and then that gets you in trouble."

"Oh yes," Maxim said, as Diesel let out a battle cry and went charging after Carlos, "But, Ranger's heart is in the right place and from coming from being a renegade mercenary out for blood to a father who has tea parties with his daughter, it's a good thing, parenthood suits Carlos to a tee."

"Oh, yes, it does," Stephanie said with a chuckle as she watched Diesel and Heidi be tossed over Carlos's shoulders, "It's shame he doesn't like Diesel around Heidi, that boy is going to marry that child, when they get old enough to."

"I know," Maxim said as Carlos walked over to the both of them, with the children, "Hello Ranger, I see you have your hands full with the children!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Carlos said, dropping Diesel in his father's lap and then placing Heidi in Stephanie's lap, "Let's go find these two some food, apparently, giving Papi grey hairs works up an appetite!"

"We want Chinese!" Heidi said, as Stephanie wrapped her arms around here and picked her up, "Chinese noodles and egg rolls and those yummy Chinese doughnuts!"

"Yeah! And a Poo-poo platter," Diesel said, earning giggles from Heidi, sliding out of his father's lap, "Come on Deda! I'm starving."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Have a good night, Bella," Carlos said softly, kissing Heidi's forehead, as she let out a yawn and slowly closed her eyes, "Have pleasant dreams…"

"'Kay," Heidi said, sleepily, turning in her bed and wrapping her arms around Harriet the Ferret, "Good night, Papi…"

Carlos turned on the side table lamp and then turned off the overhead light and closed the door. He made his way down to the kitchen, where Stephanie sat cleaning up the remains of their dessert. They had spent the rest of the day and most of the evening with Maxim and Diesel, going so far as to coming back to the house and having a movie afternoon. It was a good day for them all.

"Hey," Stephanie said as Carlos helped her clean up the dessert mess, "Is she asleep?"

"She is," Carlos said, sitting down beside Stephanie and playing with a discarded syrup bottle top , "Stephanie, Babe…we haven't sealed the deal yet."

"We haven't," Stephanie said with a breathless giggle, looking over to Carlos, "But, I do have a few things to say…before we do seal the deal…"

"Okay, shoot, Babe," Carlos said with a smile, looking over to Stephanie, who slid her chair over to man.

"We take it nice and slow," Stephanie said, placing a hand on Carlos's hand, "Just because I'm moving back in here, doesn't mean we can jump into the bed with one another."

"True," Carlos said, as Stephanie got closer to him, "What else, Babe?"

"I want to be wooed, you know, flowers, songs, spontaneous gestures of affection that include a four year old girl with a pretty smile and big amber eyes," Stephanie said with a smile, "I mean, you do come with a pint sized version of yourself, better use the pint sized doppelganger wisely."

Carlos nodded his head and said, "Sounds like an okay thing," grabbing Stephanie's chin, "Anything else?"

"Yes, I-" Stephanie started but Carlos leaned in and kissed her on the lips. It was a deep kiss but a quick one. It left Stephanie dazed and giddy, once Carlos pulled away from her.

"You were saying?" Carlos asked, with a smile, earning a shrug from Stephanie.

"I don't think I remember," Stephanie said with a breathless giggle, "Maybe it had to deal with kisses…." Stephanie pondered earning a chuckle from Carlos.

"Maybe…."

TBC…..

* * *

Alright! Finally they're getting together! WOOT WOOT! Please leave a review they tend to make me write faster!


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26, Enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review owo?

* * *

A Mommy For Papi And Me

Chapter 26

* * *

Stephanie's day at the shop had been pretty okay, but it got much better when a delivery from a local florist came and she received 3 dozen sweet smelling roses from Carlos, along with a box of fine Belgium chocolates. It didn't help that Brittany was with her, along with Lula and Valarie. The three other women squealed loudly as Stephanie read the card out to them.

"To my Babe, I hope you're having a good day, I hope you enjoy the chocolates with your friends, from Carlos." Stephanie read, placing the roses on the counter and opening the box of chocolates, "Well ladies, there's like 50 chocolates in here, we should enjoy them…"

"Oh, this is too fucking cute," Brittany said to Lula as they ate chocolates, "Chocolates, roses, random gifts, and little notes full of affection and love."

Stephanie blushed and muttered, "Please, you two behave…"

"Plus he's feeding us," Lula said as she popped another truffle in her mouth , "He knows the way to Stephanie's heart is to feed her best friends."

Brittany and Lula giggled madly and leaned against each other as they ate their candy. Stephanie shook her head and then turned to pull out the new line of panties, bras and other lingerie that Brittany, Heidi, Diesel and Lula would model. Her lingerie maker outdid himself with her designs, these would be a hit! Even though there were no model pictures on her new website, she had made over 2,000 in the 48 hours it had been open, there were orders from Europe and even Asia and the reviews on the site were stellar, she had yet to get a negative review. She would get more when she got her models in their things.

"Brittany!" Stephanie said as she rounded on said woman, "Put those chocolates down! If you eat one more, I'm going to karate chop you in the neck!"

Brittany yelped and dropped the morsel, holding her hands up in surrender, her eyes wide. Stephanie pointed to Valarie and said, "You, pull down the blinds, Lula, you go get the wax…."

"Wax for what?!" Brittany whimpered as the women went and got the requested items, "Hey now, Stephanie, you're freaking me out a bit….this is worse than that time I tried that mushroom pizza that Lula let me have a slice of…. Who puts shrooms on a pizza?!"

"You," Stephanie said with a smile, pointing to Brittany, "Strip, now…."

"But…" Brittany said, hugging herself, "I'll feel so vulnerable…."

"Lula, Val, strip her," Stephanie said, digging through the piles of lingerie and pulling out a one piece, "And remove all the hair from her, except for the hair on her head."

"Hey now, this isn't what I signed up for!" Brittany squealed as she ran from the two, "I'm calling Lester! I don't want this!"

"Oh hush and take it like a man!" Stephanie said, as Lula caught Brittany, "We can't have any public hair showing in the pictures!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"So, you and Miss. Stephanie eh?" Lester asked Ranger, making the man roll his eyes and turn to his cousin, "What?"

"You sound like Stephanie and her friends," Ranger commented, earning a shrug from the man.

"What, I sleep with one of her friends and Tank sleeps with the other one!" Lester said turning to look at Tank, who nodded his head, "We hear things, you know, like how you're wooing Stephanie with all the nice things, and make us look like jerks!"

Carlos leaned back in his chair and asked, "How do I make you all look like fools?!"

"Well, Lula came to me, demanding to know why I don't send her flowers or chocolates or little notes of affections," Tank said, looking over to Ranger, who scoffed and resumed eating his pasta, "I'll have you know, she mutters curse words at me now, because I'm not as romantic as Papi, which is you!"

"And Brittany talks about how you use the child to help you out as well!" Lester said, waving his arms, "How can I compete with a cute four year old with lisp?!"

"You can't, that's how," Tank added to Lester's rant, "Face it, Ranger, you've out shined us, and we can't compete…"

"It's a kick to the balls that we get compared to hot and sexy all the time, I tried to get Brittany chocolates and she scoffed at me!" Lester rumbled, glaring at Ranger, who held his hands up, "We can't compare to the sexy single father."

"I did the same thing with Lula and some of her favorite flowers, I can never win," Tank said, turning to Lester, "We're always going to be second place, even with our women."

"Oh brother, I would have turned down your brunch invitation if this is what I'm exposed to, alright, you two, I do have a child with me," Ranger said, nodding over to Heidi, who sat in a booster seat, coloring and munching on fries, "I don't want her tainted by your displeasure."

"Oh, that's right, we should start them off early," Lester said, getting up and sitting beside Heidi, "Heidi, sweet heart, Uncle Tank and I have some things to tell you about, when it comes to men and dating."

"What's dating?!" Heidi asked, looking up from her homework, "Is it a fun thing?"

"Sure, it can be, when done right!" Lester said, leaning forward, "Heidi, when your friends talk about their men, don't compare your boyfriend to their boyfriends…."

Ranger chuckled at the adorable look of confusion on Heidi's face, "Boyfriend, do you mean a boy who is my friend?!"

"Sure, sure, let's go with that," Lester said, waving his hand in the air, as Heidi chewed on a piece of shrimp, "Look, Heidi, your boyfriend won't like it, he'll get sad, being compared to Mr. Perfect."

"Who is Mr. Perfect?" Heidi asked, looking over to Ranger, "Is he Papi? Cause Papi's the most perfect man in the whole world, Diesel said he's gonna marry me, but I'm going to marry Papi!"

"It's too late," Tank said with a groan, watching Heidi beam at Ranger, who laughed out loud, "She's been tainted."

"Well, what do you expect!" Lester said, waving to Ranger, "This is his child we're trying to change! It's a lost cause, why did we even bother?!"

Heidi giggled and looked over to Ranger, "Papi, Tank and Uncle Lester are so silly."

"They are, Bella," Ranger said running his hand on Heidi's head.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Perfect," Stephanie said, adjusting the straps on Brittany's shoulder, "Absolutely perfect! It's like it was made for you, woman. Am I a genius or what!?"

Brittany did a small twirl in the piece she wore and cooed, "I'm a star! Cupping her face and smiling, "A super model!"

"Uh…don't push it," Lula said as she fixed the hems, "There, and the heels you're wearing add to it!"

Stephanie stood back and admired her work. They had tucked Brittany in a short golden nightie with built in garters and bra. The bust of the nightie had a swirling pattern of white and amber gems and material was thin and flowing. There were cute golden bows on the part where the garters met the nightie and there were bows on the shoulder straps. All in all, Brittany looked innocently hot in the outfit.

"Perfect!" Stephanie said clapping her hands and looking at Brittany, "Now, you need to stay like that for two hours, we have a photo shoot at 4 and I don't want to mess this image up!"

"Oh no way! It's almost time for our mid afternoon second lunch!" Brittany said, walking over to phone as it went off, "We're going to the Rib place!"

"Well, you'll have to starve," Stephanie said, before turning to Lula, "You next, but uh…I think I'll let the photographer deal wit-"

"WHAT?!" Brittany exclaimed, making all the women in the shop jump, "No, don't tell me this, you do not tell me this!"

Stephanie turned to Lula and Valarie and then back to Brittany, who cursed loudly and then began to bark into the phone.

"No, Jeez, I'll be there soon, I have to call my body guard, please, for heaven's sake, don't tell me any other bad news!" Brittany said, before she hung up the phone and turned to Valarie, "You, call Tank, get back to the safe house, get the girls there as well."

Brittany rounded on Stephanie and Lula and said, "Lula, go with Tank and stick close to him, okay? Don't ask questions, just do it! Stephanie call Ranger and stick with him, I have to go down to the federal district court."

"What's going on?" Valarie asked Brittany, who tossed on her long pea coat.

"Steve has been killed in prison," Brittany said softly, making Valarie gasp, "Judge Walter has been killed off as well, I would call this a good thing, but it's not since the FBI thinks that he had ties to the POS, I have to go and get this all sorted out."

Brittany called up Lester and then said to the three women, "Lay low for a bit, maybe a week or so, Val, it's possible that you might end up in witness protection, since they're looking for you. I'll go make the arrangements with Beverly and Jeanne, I'll see you all in a bit."

With that, Brittany grabbed her purse and then walked out the shop and into the waiting black SUV. Stephanie turned to Valarie and asked, "Are you okay, Val?"

"I think I will be, but, goodness," Val said, looking at her sister, "I'm ready for this to end…"

"Me too," Lula said, crossing her arms and huffing, "Can't go out, even though I'm not a target…maybe I wanna go to a bar!"

"Well, you heard the lawyer," Stephanie said, getting out her phone, "I hope she doesn't mess that nightie up, it's a one of a kind."

"I hope she knows that she went out in a nightie, to go talk to the feds," Lula said, making Valarie and Stephanie giggle.

"This is going to put a hindrance on the photo shoot," Stephanie sighed, closing down the store and waiting for Carlos to pick up his phone, "How in the hell am I supposed to be successful, if I can't get past a terrorist group trying to kidnap my sister and her girls and then they trash my house, and to top it off, my model is in between this all! Can't we all get a break?!"

"Well, I mean, Val has a break, her deadbeat husband is dead, I mean, rest his soul, but he deserved it, he gave you the warts, ran off with the baby-sitter, took all the money and left you indebted to a terrorist group," Lula said to Valarie, who looked over to Lula, her eyes wide with surprise.

"You're right," Valarie said, tears brimming in her eyes, "That bastard did leave me to fend for myself! That dick! I hope he rots in hell, and I hope his pretty little tramp of a babysitter is there too!"

"Wow," Stephanie said, as she got a response back from Carlos, "I've never seen this side of your before, Val."

"A hanging's too good for him!" Lula said, wrapping her arm with Valarie's, "Come on, sister, let's go get wasted, Stephanie can watch the girls…."

"Now, wait a minute, I didn't agree to that," Stephanie said as Lula and Valarie planned their night, "Now wait a minute! It's Friday night, I wanna have fun too!"

"Nope, you have to watch the girls for us, we're getting drunk!" Valarie said before turning back to Lula, "Oh, I do love a good margarita…."

TBC….

* * *

Uh oh, looks like there are going to be three little girls to cause havoc in Casa De Manoso...please leave a review, they tend to make me write faster! One more day of school and then summer break! 8D


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27, Enjoy! It's official people, it's Summer Break for me! Woot woot! Now I get to sit back and enjoy it until maybe August or so, when I head off to Japan! Sorry about not posting yesterday, I moved out of my dorm.

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1!

Please Review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 27

* * *

Stephanie could feel Carlos's eyes on her as she ushered Mary Alice and Angie over to the Cayenne. Lula and Valarie had left her shop, giving Stephanie strict orders to watch the two girls while they got drunk in the safe house with Tank and another Rangeman watching them. The girls had arrived at Stephanie's shop with Tank, carrying overnight bags. Lula had told Stephanie that it wouldn't be wise if the girls were around them with hangovers. Those jerks, they just didn't want to be around two loud girls with their hangovers! Well, Carlos could handle two girls, after all, he has to deal with a four year old, Mary Alice was 7 and Angie was 9, it'll be a cake walk for him.

"What is this?" Carlos asked Stephanie as she got the girls in the back of the Cayenne with Heidi, who was clapping her hands with excitement.

"Well, we're going to have a big sleep over," Stephanie said with a smile, climbing into the Cayenne, "Mary Alice and Angie are sleeping over with us! Since….Val and Lula have plans…without me!"

Stephanie heard Carlos chuckle and then she puffed up, "What's so funny?!"

"You got the short end of the stick," Carlos said pulling the Cayenne out of the parking space, "So, what are we going to do with these three?"

"Papi…we should go out or dinner!" Heidi said kicking her feet, "Let's go to our favorite place!"

"We have many favorite places, Bella," Carlos said looking at Heidi through his rearview mirror, "Can you name me one?"

"Um…I don't know," Heidi said with a giggle, looking at Carlos.

"How about, we go to the store, and pick up something to cook," Stephanie suggested, earning a loud, "Yes!" from the three girls in the back of the Cayenne, "What sounds good for dinner?"

There were several responses from the back, but then Carlos said, "How about something Cuban, a nice warm Cuban stew."

"Will it have Hay in it?" Mary Alice asked, looking up from the pony book she was showing Heidi, "I'm a pony, and I have to eat hay, or else I'll get sick."

"Oh, we wouldn't want that," Carlos said with a wink to Stephanie, "Yes, there's going to be hay in it, and what sounds good for dessert?"

"Um…strawberry flan!" Heidi said with a smile, looking over to Carlos, "Your favorite, Papi!"

"Oh, that does sound like a good Cuban dessert to finish with," Carlos said, looking at the three girls in the back of the Cayenne, "So…who is going to help me cook, I'll need three small chefs and an extra special grown-up chef to help me out."

There were a round of, "Me's," From the girls in the back, and Stephanie shook her head saying, "You're silly, you know that, Carlos?"

"Babe," Carlos said, grabbing Stephanie's hand and squeezing it, "After they fall asleep, we'll talk about the emergency Brittany had to deal with."

Stephanie had a feeling that they would have a talk about it, when a federal judge is killed, things tend to get a bit more real.

"So, girls, how do you like your new school?" Stephanie asked Angie and Mary Alice, who smiled and looked up at Stephanie.

"I like it," Angie said softly, putting the novel she was reading down, "I like that there's not a lot of students and that all my classmates are from around the world. Plus, we go on trips every week."

"My teacher knows I like ponies," Mary Alice said holding up her book, "She told the gym teacher that I love ponies…and we're going to have gym at a stable! I get to ride a pony!"

"Wow, this school sounds cool," Stephanie said, turning to the girls in the back, "Heidi do you have fun at school?"

"Mhmm, I get to learn new languages and I get to play with Diesel and I get to be in the big kids classes!" Heidi said, looking at Stephanie, "I get to be in ninth grade Chinese and French, cause Mr. Charles says I would do better in there!"

"Oh, yes," Angie said looking at Heidi who waved at her, "I see her in my classes too, she's even smarter than Lin, and Lin can do a lot of math problems with three multiples."

"They think she's a linguistic genius," Carlos said to Stephanie, who let out a sound of surprise, "They told me that if I push her, she could learn up to 10 different languages."

"That's amazing," Stephanie said, looking back at Heidi, who was engrossed in her books, "Where did she get that intelligence from?"

"Her mother, she was smart as well, went to Cambridge at 14, got her Ph.D. by 20," Carlos said with a shrug, "But, Heidi's mother had a father who educated her with tutors from a young age."

Stephanie let out a sound and said, "Oh, well, Heidi is going to be a stellar genius."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Grown-up Chef, what does the list say we need?" Carlos asked Stephanie, as he placed Heidi in the buggy of the shopping cart, "The little chefs can help pick it out."

"Well, we need 2 pounds of chuck roast, cut for stewing," Stephanie said, looking at the list on her phone, "4 pounds of potatoes, one medium yellow onion, three medium sized tomatoes, garlic, cumin, oregano, Paprika, cilantro, white wine."

"Well, I have some white wine, but we do need the other things," Carlos said to Mary Alice and Angie, "Okay, chefs, time to go and get the ingredients, Chef Mary Alice, you go get the onion, Chef Angie, you go get a small bag of potaotoes."

The girls ran off to grab the ingredients, making Heidi pout and look up at him, "Papi, what can I do? I'm a chef too!"

Carlos ran a hand over Heidi's head and said, "You do have an important job, Bella, count the items in the cart, and you get to pick out what we have for breakfast tomorrow."

Heidi's eyes widened and she said, "Oh! I wanna have French toast! And bacon, and orange juice and fruit!"

"It seems like we have a big breakfast ahead of us," Stephanie said with a smile, "Anything else, Heidi?"

"Pasta?" Heidi asked as Mary Lou and Angie placed the ingredients in the basket.

"Maybe for lunch," Carlos said, pushing the cart down the produce aisle, "Okay, Chefs, we need to get tomatoes and garlic."

Stephanie smiled as Carlos grabbed her hand as he pushed the cart down the store aisle. They felt like a family almost. She couldn't wait to try the Cuban dishes that Carlos would make. Stephanie turned to Heidi and asked, "So, does Papi make good Cuban dishes?"

"Mhmm!" Heidi said looking over to Stephanie, "I really like his strawberry flan, Papi lets me eat it with ice cream."

Mary Alice and Angie ran back to the cart with the ingredients, just as Joe Morelli appeared in the same aisle at them. Stephanie groaned and whispered, "Oh no….why is he here?"

"Cupcake!" Joe said, with a smile, pushing his cart full of food over to where the group stood, "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Papi, who is he calling Cupcake?" Heidi asked, looking around at Carlos and Stephanie, "Why is he calling someone a cupcake, you eat those!"

"I wonder who he's calling Cupcake as well?" Carlos chuckled, looking over to Stephanie and watching as she moaned and covered her face.

Stephanie heard Mary Alice and Angie giggle behind her as Joe walked over to Stephanie. They hid behind Carlos's legs as Joe looked at them.

"These must be the nieces your mother talks about, Cupcake," Joe said giving Mary Alice and Angie a smile, before turning to Heidi, who was kicking her legs and watching him, "Another pretty young lady, Cupcake, where do you find them?"

"Why are you calling Miss. Stephanie Cupcake?" Heidi asked, tilting her head and looking at Joe, "You can't call people cupcakes, silly, you eat them, and it's bad to eat people, right Papi?"

"Right, Bella" Carlos said, running a hand over Heidi's head.

"Well, I call her Cupcake because, it's like a nickname for her," Joe said smiling at Heidi who opened her mouth and said, "Oh….," to Joe, "I call her that because I like her and want to give her a special name."

"Well, you can't call her Cupcake, Papi already gave her a nickname, he calls her Babe," Heidi said crossing her arms and looking hard at Joe, "Which means, he likes her and so you can't like her, since Papi likes her."

"Oh, I wish the floor would open up right now and just swallow me up," Stephanie moaned, looking in horror at Heidi, "Carlos!"

"She does have a point," Carlos said, wrapping an arm around Stephanie and pulling her close, "I do call you Babe, and that does mean that I like you."

"Does that mean you're going to marry Aunt Stephanie and become our uncle?" Angie asked, looking over to Mary Alice, who beamed up at Carlos.

"Yeah! I would like it if you were my Uncle," Mary Alice said looking over to Stephanie, "Auntie Stephanie, you have to marry Papi!"

"Who knows," Carlos said, winking at all three girls, "Maybe we will."

"That would make Miss. Stephanie my Mommy," Heidi said in a soft voice, her eyes big with excitement. She wanted Miss. Stephanie to be her Mommy really badly.

"Sorry, sir," Mary Alice said, looking over to Joe, "But my Aunt can't be your cupcake, since she's Papi's Babe."

"Yup, you need to move along now," Angie said, pushing Joe away, "Good bye, strange man!"

Mary Alice turned to Carlos and said, "We've got this Papi…." Giving him a salute.

"A solider always helps her fellow comrades," Heidi said, in her serious voice, "Especially when it's their Papi."

Stephanie moaned as Carlos smiled at the three girls and said, "You all get to pick out three things you want, a Colonel always rewards his soldiers."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Of all the things to pick," Carlos said, looking down at his child, who smiled up at him, "You pick a bag of kitty litter, a pack of pork chops and a Parade Magazine, why?"

"I liked the pictures," Heidi giggled, looking down at her magazine, "Will you read this with me, Papi?"

"Of course I will," Carlos said, as the group began to unpack bags, "But we have to make dinner first, so I need or my chefs to wash their hands and put on their aprons."

Stephanie helped the girls put on their aprons, which consisted of a tea towel wrapped around their waists. Mary Alice would be helping Stephanie cut up the vegtables, while Angie would help by reading the recipe. Heidi had the most important job and that was being the taste tester, and she took her job serious. It was a fun Friday night, and if she had to choose ladies night and family night with the Heidi, Carlos and her nieces, she would choose family night.

"Chefs," Carlos said, as they sat down at the kitchen table to eat, "I can safely say that you all know how to cook, time to dig in."

Stephanie let out a moan, as she took her first bite, the stew was wonderful and she knew by the time they got to dessert, there would be nothing left.

"This is very yummy, I can taste the hay!" Mary Alice beamed at Stephanie, "We made good stew!"

"I hope dessert is as good as dinner!" Angie said as Carlos scooped more stew into her waiting bowl, "Is flan nasty?"

"No, it's not," Carlos said, giving Heidi a another small helping of stew, "It can be, if you make it wrong, but I think, with my best chefs, we've made a very tasty flan tonight."

"This is so much fun," Stephanie said with a smile, looking at the three girls, "Say, I have a question, do you want to do this again?"

"Yes, please, that would be nice," Angie said calmly, while Mary Alice and Heidi squeal and yelled their approval.

"We're not going to get rid of them, Babe," Carlos said as the girls chattered about the movie they pickd out from the Red Box.

"I know, and I'm not too sad about it," Stephanie said leaning in to kiss Carlos on the cheek, "Thank you for helping out with the girls."

"I help out with the girls and all I get is a kiss on the cheek?" Carlos asked, getting a giggle from Stephanie, "I need a kiss on the lips for all my hard work."

"So demanding," Stephanie huffed, but she leaned in and kissed Carlos on his lips.

The two looked at each other for a moment, before Stephanie kissed him again, this time lingering a little longer. Stephanie heard a rumble from Carlos's chest and then he was kissing her deeply, at the dinner table, in front of the girls.

"Yuck!" Mary Alice said, looking at Stephanie and Carlos, "Kissy faces, come on Heidi and Angie, let's go get dessert and eat it in the family room and watch movies. We might get the cooties, just by looking at them!"

Angie helped Heidi down from her booster seat saying, "Yeah, you're too young to see this type of stuff, Heidi."

"But, my friend Diesel kisses me all the time!" Heidi argued as the three girls left the kitchen with their desserts, "On the lips too! I like it when he kisses me there."

"He does WHAT?!"

TBC….

* * *

Someone asked why the adults called Carlos Papi as well. It's because they're mocking him lol. Please, leave a review, they make me write faster :D


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28, enjoy! Sorry about the delay, things have to get done this month and next month, and phew!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? owo

* * *

A Mommy for Papi and Me

Chapter 28

* * *

"I don't know why you flipped out the way you did," Stephanie mused, watching Carlos shake his head and moan softly, his head buried in his arms, "Now look at the outcome."

Carlos looked up and groaned, laying his head back down. When he had heard about Diesel kissing his child, he had reacted in the way any single father would do: He went to confront the little punk who would even dare to kiss his child. He grabbed his keys and drove the two minutes it took to get to Maxim's house. He had had this plan in which he would scare the punk and stop him from ever kissing his child again.

He had a plan, but, when it came to the Vladimir men, nothing goes according to plan.

He pounded on the door, brushed past Beverly and headed right to Diesel and Maxim. Oh yes, he knew where they were, he had spent many a day bringing Diesel back to his house, when said child would make his way over here, without his parent's permission. Apparently, there's a shortcut behind the boy's house.

Carlos rounded on Diesel and asked him if he was kissing his precious Heidi. Diesel had nodded his head and said, "Yup, I like kissing her, that's why I kiss her."

Carlos was about to go off on the child but Maxim had asked the man what he was doing tonight and Carlos, with his mind heavy on berating Diesel, had told him that he had Stephanie's young nieces over for a sleepover. He hadn't heard a single word that Maxim said but the next thing he knew, he had a batman backpack in his arms and then he and Diesel were back at the house. Apparently, Carlos had told Maxim that it was alright for Diesel to join them in their sleepover.

"It's so kind of you to let Thaddeus join you all," Beverly said with a smile, shooing both man and boy out the house. "You know, Maxim and I were going to send him off somewhere tonight, for a grown up night, but, this works for us! Have a good weekend with our child!"

"Weekend?" Carlos asked, as Beverly closed the door on his face. Carlos turned to Diesel who smiled and grabbed his backpack.

"It's cold Papi, can we go now?" Diesel asked, running over to Carlos's Cayenne, "I wanna see Heidi!"

Now, here he was, at 11 PM, watching as Diesel charmed his way into the hearts of Angie and Mary Alice. They had finished the movie earlier in the night, and now Diesel was in between the two older girls talking about something that he did with Heidi at school.

"I like to push Heidi on the swings, and I don't push her on the ground, cause that's not nice." Diesel said to the two girls, earning coos from them, "I like Heidi, she's my girlfriend…."

"Do you think you'll get cooties from Heidi?" Mary Alice asked, looking over to Heidi, "She is a girl…."

"No! Heidi's never going to give me cooties!" Diesel said, giving Mary Alice a glare, "Besides, your girlfriend can't give you cooties."

"Oh!" Angie said with a giggle, "You're going out with Heidi now?! Have you two gone on a date yet, that's what couples do, they date."

Diesel looked thoughtful and then got up and walked over to Carlos, "Papi, I have to take Heidi out on a date, where can I take her? I have to ask you cause it's a man thing, right?"

"You can take her to the moon," Carlos said, giving Diesel a glare, "You're not dating my child, no go back to playing with the other children."

"Please, Papi?" Diesel asked, running over to Carlos and climbing in his lap, "Look, Deda says it would be bad for me, if I didn't take Heidi out on a date."

Carlos wrapped an arm around Diesel and said, "Look son, you're too young for this dating thing, tell you what, when you're 16, you can date my child, okay? For now, you'll have to make do with alone time on the playground, where we can all see you."

Diesel pouted and then sighed, "So complicated," waving his hand in the way his father would, "Well, I'm going to go play with my girlfriend and the other girls, I think they like me…"

Diesel smiled and slid off of Carlos's lap and made his way over to the three girls, saying, "Ladies! I'm back!"

Carlos felt his eyebrow twitch as Stephanie giggled at him, "It's not funny, Babe…this is my child he's trying to date!"

"Oh, you poor dear," Stephanie said, getting up and going over to Carlos, rubbing his shoulders, "Shaken up by a four year old. "

"This isn't fair," Carlos said, leaning back in Stephanie's grip, "Have I made any entity angry? This must be my punishment, to put up with a child trying to take my daughter away from me."

"Oh, the poor dear, having to deal with this," Stephanie cooed, climbing into Carlos's lap and kissing his cheek, "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, but the punk did remind me of something," Carlos said, looking down at Stephanie, "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Nothing, spending time with my favorite people, why?" Stephanie asked, sitting up in Carlos's lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm taking you out on a date," Carlos said, with a smile, leaning down and kissing Stephanie, "A grown up date, just the two of us, Babe, we'll leave the children with Ella and enjoy ourselves."

Stephanie smiled and said, "Well, that sounds like a wonderful idea! Where are you taking me?"

"A surprise, Babe," Carlos said, as Stephanie slid off his lap, "But, be sure to wear your dancing shoes."

"Oh, well, I sure will…" Stephanie said, walking out the dining room and into the family room, "Children, it's 11:30 aren't you all tired?"

"No!" Heidi said, sitting up and looking at Stephanie, "Miss. Stephanie we're not tired, we're hungry!"

"Well, we can't have that," Stephanie said leading the children into the kitchen, "I know this may be naughty, but let's have a midnight snack, how about we make some cookies, I got us some cookie dough! We'll have cookies and milk."

After spending 40 minutes making cookies and eating them, Stephanie and Carlos made a big sleeping space on the floor of the family room and placed the children on it. They were fast asleep in minutes. Carlos chuckled and said, "They were more tired than they thought they were."

"Yeah, they even cuter when they're asleep," Stephanie mused throwing the covers on the four small bodies, "I hope they sleep in, it's almost one in the morning."

"I think they'll sleep in until 9 and then wake us up for breakfast," Carlos said, wrapping an arm around Stephanie and leading her up the stairs to her room, "Babe, I'll see you in the morning, they're going to find you first."

Stephanie let out a giddy giggle as Carlos kissed her on the lips, "See you in the morning."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"You've brought it back in one piece!" Stephanie said with joy as Brittany walked into the shop with the nightie and high heels.

"Why didn't you tell me that I was in this when I left!" Brittany snarled, holding up the pieces, "I got hit on by every male in the place!"

Stephanie giggled and said, "Sorry, but at least you looked good," pointing to several blue plastic bins, "Okay, woman, it's just you me, and your man friend today, we have a photo shoot at this house that we've rented out for a few hours for this photo shoot. "

Stephanie had chosen a Victorian mansion in the New York Country side to do the shoot in. It was nice and homely and in the fall and spring, it had the perfect backdrop. It was only an hour away from the shop so it would only be a morning thing.

"What about Lula and her modeling, and what about Heidi and Diesel?" Brittany asked, helping Stephanie pack the blue plastic bins into the car.

"I'll do her shoot on a different day along with the children," Stephanie said as she closed the trunk, "When I get the lines they're representing up."

"Oh, I see, okay," Brittany said, climbing in the car beside Stephanie, "Well, let's get this over with, I have things to do."

"So, what happened yesterday?" Stephanie asked, Brittany as she drove out of town.

"Well, we got the arrangements taken care of, Val and the girls will be going into witness protection next month," Brittany said, looking out the window, "I don't know where they're going, but I know they'll be safe."

"Well, that's good, hopefully, they'll be safe," Stephanie said softly, as they pulled into the mansion, and over to an area where other parked cars waited, "Oh good, the photographer, the make-up artist and the stylist are here."

The photographer was a pretty red haired woman by the name of Georgia. She had long blond hair and grey eyes. She wore a pair of tattered jeans, a long male polo shirt and a pair of slip on shoes. She smiled at Brittany and said, with a giggle, "You are perfect! Let's get you all saddle up in make-up, get you hair fluffed up and then we'll put you in lace and thongs!"

"Oh, I like this one," Brittany said, hooking her arm with Georgia and walking up to the mansion, "This is an awesome place, it looks like my house, but my house is better!"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and walked into the house with the two women, this was going to be a long photoshoot, she could already tell by the way Georgia and Brittany clicked, nothing good comes from Brittany clicking with people.

Stephanie felt her phone vibrate and she answered it with a quick, "Hello Carlos!"

"Babe, how is your day going?" Carlos asked Stephanie making her groan, "Oh, not good, eh?"

"Worse, my photographer and Brittany clicked, that means nothing good can come from this," Stephanie said with a smile, as Carlos chuckled.

"Oh, well, sorry to hear that, the girls, Diesel and I miss you, and yes, Diesel is behaving, we're at Rangeman now, I have them in the gym showing my men how children how boundless amount of energy."

"Oh, well don't let those children scare of your men," Stephanie said watching as Brittany got her hair done and make up placed on her face, "You know how those are."

"I know, I caught Diesel peeing in the reception area plants," Carlos said, making Stephanie laugh out loud, "Babe, I can't wait for tonight, you better get your crew to doll you up, because, we're going to be in a crowded place."

"I'll see if Georgia's crew will fix me up," Stephanie said with a giggle, sitting down in a seat, "I can't wait, Carlos, I have to go and pick out Brittany's things."

"See you soon, Babe," and then Carlos hung up. Stephanie looked over to Brittany and said, "I have a date tonight!"

"Oh boy! I do too! Lester and I are going to Atlantic City to gamble away the lotto winnings I made off of scratchers!" Brittany said with a smile, "We're going to have a blast in the city!"

"Well, don't wind up in jail," Stephanie warned, as she took out the nightie and then went over to the bin full of downy soft blankets, "We'll do the bed scene first and then go from there. I want you to look sexy and fuckable, Brittany, because that's what I aim for when I made these pieces; fuckable and sexy!"

"I can do that!" Brittany said, with a wink, as plum red lipstick was placed on her lips, "I can become fuckable! And then we eat!"

TBC…..

* * *

Date night tonight, woot woot! Please leave a review, they make me write faster!


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29, Enjoy!

Warning: Nonw

Disclaimer in chapter 1!

Please Review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi And Me

Chapter 29

* * *

"Here," Brittany said, tossing Stephanie a multicolored dress, "Wear this on your date, it's a real Versace, so be careful, the man who bought this would have my head if he found out I gave it away so willy nilly."

Stephanie held up the dress and said, "Brittany, woman, this is beautiful! This must have cost a fortune!"

"It did," Brittany said, flipping through the photos and sipping wine, "But, I didn't buy it, my old man friend did, he sends me gifts every week, Lester doesn't like it, he says that I'm a kept woman now, and need to stop accepting those kind of gifts."

The dress Stephanie received was a fall themed short dress that would fall just pat her knees, the colors on the dress were brown, yellow, orange and red. It had long sleeves and a simple collar. The skirt flowed and if Stephanie twirled in it, it would fly up. It was a simple dress and Stephanie was in love with it.

"Wow, this is going to wow Carlos," Stephanie said, looking over to Brittany, a smile on her face, "This is going to be such an awesome date."

Brittany held up the pictures and said, "Did I achieve the look you were hoping for?"

Stephanie walked over to the long dining room table, where the pictures lay out on and gasped, "Holy shit, Brittany, these are stellar, you took what I wanted and went beyond it!"

Stephanie couldn't wait to put these pictures on the website. She loved the one with Brittany modeling the lacy red bra and panty set, looking out the window and wearing a sheer thin robe over her body. She had a look of happiness on her face, as if she had seen her lover outside, looking up into the window. Knowing Lester, he might have been outside, looking up at her. The pictures of Brittany laying in the bed, dressed in that one of a kind nightie had Stephanie wondering what this would look like on a larger scale, she would have to make a call about billboard advertising. Stephanie hated to say this but, Brittany made a good model.

"This are all good, Brittany, great job," Stephanie said, looking over to her friend, "I'll send you your check, and you get to keep everything that you modeled in."

"Oh, that's great!" Brittany said, holding up the golden nightie, "Lester really loves this one, it's his favorite."

"They're all going to be his favorite, I bet," Stephanie said as the two got the pictures in order, "Well, let's help Georgia pack all this up and then head out ourselves, oh…wait, I have to see if they can doll me up for tonight."

"Oh, they will," Brittany said, waving to Stephanie, "I asked, Georgia and her crew to give you a nice makeover for your date tonight, we have to hurry up and head back to your shop, that's where we're going to do you over!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"What about this?" Carlos asked, holding up a maroon colored, silk, button up shirt, along with a pair of khakis, "Does this work?"

"No, black pants," Diesel said, earning head nods from the three girls sitting beside him, "It's going to look better on you!"

"Yeah Papi," Mary Alice said getting up and running over to Carlos's closet, "And you need a tie and a top hat, where are these things?!"

"Not here, since I don't own a top hat," Carlos said, placing the silk shirt on the bed along with a pair of black slacks, "Now, cologne, what should I wear?"

Heidi and Angie got up and ran over to the dresser, in which his body sprays and colognes sat on the flat surface. Angie and Heidi giggled and looked over the glass bottles before picking out a tall clear glass that had the word Bulgari on it.

"This one," Angie said, looking at Heidi who nodded her head and carried the cologne over to her father.

"You're gonna smell good, Papi!" Heidi said, giving Carlos the cologne, "Papi, can we go with you?"

"No, it's for grown-ups only," Carlos said, looking at the four children, "Now, I'm going to go over a list of rules and protocols for you all while you're with Ella at Rangeman okay?"

When the three children nodded their heads Carlos crossed his arms and said, "Now rule one, do not talk back to Ella, got that?"

"Yes!"

"Rule two, please, please, please, do not eat so much sugar, Ella is known for spoiling her charges and my men, she is going to make you so much junk food," Carlos said watching the children bounce on the bed happily, "Moderate that sugar with vegetables okay?"

"Kay!"

"And finally, you four have a bedtime of 10PM, I hope by the time Stephanie and I get back from or night out, you are all asleep."

"Yes sir!" The children said with smiles on their faces, making Carlos smile back at them.

"Alright, soldiers, can you repeat what the rules to me?" Carlos asked the four earning nods from them.

"Sir yes sir!" Mary Alice said, saluting Carlos, "Rule one, eat all the sugar and cakes that Ella makes us!"

"Now that's not what I said-"

"Sir, rule two, If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Diesel boomed making Carlos shake his head.

"What does that have to do with-"

"Don't wear white after labor day!" Angie exclaimed, saluting Carlos and making him groan loudly.

Carlos turned to his child and raised an eyebrow saying, "Well? I'm waiting for your crazy answer…"

Heidi saluted him and said, "Sir yes sir, wearing stripes still doesn't hide the fact that your booty is big!"

"Close enough," Carlos sighed, watching the children jump off the bed and run out into the living room of the penthouse that sat above Rangeman, "Well, thank goodness I left instructions with Ella."

Carlos looked at his watch and smiled, it was almost 6 and almost time to go pick up Stephanie from her shop. Brittany had called him and told him to pick Stephanie up from the shop at 6:15, they were dolling her up there. While Stephanie had a group of professionals with her, Carlos had to contend with a group of children. They spent the day at Rangeman, where Carlos went over papers and contracts and the children spent it with most of the Rangemen and Ella.

Carlos closed the door to the bedroom so that he wouldn't have little busy bodies trying to rush in and ask him questions. He told Angie, the oldest one to watch out for the three children, while he was getting ready for his date. Carlos couldn't wait for his night out with Stephanie. He was taking her out to dinner and dancing, she would love that and he wanted to make a good impression on their very first date.

After he finished getting dressed for his date, he walked out the door and opened it. Waiting outside of the door were four children, waiting for him. He gave them all a look and asked, "Well?" motioning to himself, "How do I look?"

"You look hot, Papi!" Mary Alice said, with a giggle, "That's what Auntie Stephanie says when she talks about you."

Carlos chuckled and said, "Alright, children, I called Ella, she'll be up here soon, now, I'm telling you all to behave, you got it, if you all behave tonight, we'll do something fun tomorrow, okay?"

"Kay!" the four children said, just as the door to the penthouse opened and Ella appeared, pushing a cart full of dinner and sweets into the penthouse.

"Hello, children, I made pizza and several sweets for you all tonight," Ella said, with a smile, making Carlos groan, "Now, you have a good night, Carlos, I have it from here."

"Behave you four," Carlos said to the children as he walked out the penthouse.

"Have a good time, Papi!"

"Eat lots of good food!"

"Be a gentleman!"

"I'm going to kiss Heidi cause I can!"

"You are going to what?!" Carlos snapped, just as Ella closed the door on his face, "He's going to what…?"

Carlos gave the penthouse door a glare and then made his way down to the garage. Instead of the Cayenne, Carlos chose the Porsche 911 Turbo. It was one of his favorite cars and driving his babe in it stirred something deep inside of him. Carlos climbed into the car and then made his way out the underground garage and over to Stephanie's shop.

He parked the car and nodded his head to Lester, who nodded back, leaning against the brick wall of the shop. Carlos walked over to Lester and asked, "Is she ready yet?"

"I don't know, they wouldn't let me in," Lester said, with a shrug, looking at binds that covered the store front windows, "They've been in here since 4, after they got back from the photo shoot."

"How'd the shoot go?" Carlos asked, knocking on the door of the shop, "good I hope?"

"Oh, it went great and the pictures of Brittany, pure gold," Lester said with a smile, "Oh, look, here they come."

Both men turned to the door, which opened up to reveal Brittany. She smiled at the two and said, "Alright, Carlos, she's yours."

Brittany moved out the way to reveal Stephanie, who looked stunning in a below the knee multicolored dress, that was covered with a soft brown pea coat with a pair of black heels. Her curly brown hair had been straightened and hung to her shoulders, in a side ponytail. She had on soft colored tone make up that made her eyes pop out. She gave Carlos a smile and asked, "Well, how do I look?"

"Like a million dollars, come on, Babe, I can't wait to show you off," Carlos said, wrapping his arm around Stephanie's waist and leading her out the shop.

"Oh, Brittany! Lock up for me please!" Stephanie called out to Brittany who smiled and nodded her head.

"Have and good night!" Brittany called out to Stephanie and Carlos, "Do everything I would do!"

"We'd be in trouble if we did," Stephanie muttered to Carlos, making him say, "Babe."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie was excited about the date tonight. Carlos had driven a sexy car and was wearing a yummy maroon shirt made of silk and a pair of sexy black slacks. He escorted her to the car and said, "I hope you're ready for tonight."

"I am, where are you taking me?" Stephanie asked as Carlos started the car, "Dancing I suppose?"

"Yes, but where I'm taking you is the surprise," Carlos said, as he steered the Turbo down the road, "Just sit back and enjoy the ride."

Carlos drove for maybe an hour or so, until they were in Newark, going to the Cuban section of the town. Stephanie let out a sound of glee as Carlos parked beside a rather lively Cuban dance club.

"I'm taking you out to Salsa, Babe, I hope you're a fast leaner," Carlos said turning the car off and then getting out.

Stephanie grabbed Carlos's hand as he helped her out the Turbo, "I am a fast learner, Carlos, I hope you're prepared for my energy."

The inside of the club was crowded with people and the walls pounded with salsa music. The hostess lead Carlos and Stephanie past the crowded main floor and into the back , to a private room, where a table for two was set waiting for them. Stephanie smiled as Carlos pulled out the chair for her and sat down. A waiter came and poured them some champagne.

"I love this place, it's so wonderful," Stephanie said, looking around at the art on the wall, "Goodness, thank you for taking me here."

"No problem, Babe," Carlos said, reaching out and grabbing Stephanie's hand, "I grew up in this area, until I was 6 and then I got shipped down to Miami. I was a rebel, Babe, but I'm not any longer."

"I can't see you as a thug," Stephanie said with a chuckle, looking over to Carlos, "Especially with a cute 4 year old daughter."

"well, that was a long time ago, Babe, I got back on the straight and narrow and now, here I am," Carlos said, as he opened his menu up, "I'm sure you're dying to try some good Cuban food."

Stephanie had to hand it to the club, they sure did make some tasty food. She tried a little bit of everything and fell in love with each dish. She made small talk with Carlos and found out a lot about his childhood. He was born in Newark, got in trouble at a young age and was shipped to Miami, where his grandparents lived. It was an interesting tale to say the least. And after all that, Carlos helped her up and led her out onto the dance floor, where she proved to Carlos that she was, indeed a fast learner. She danced circles around him on the floor, and took the lead on a few dances. Stephanie was having the time of her life.

"You're a fast learner," Carlos said, as they danced slowly to the music, "I'm going to have to do new things with you again."

"Oh, well, I'm excited," Stephanie said, as the two danced closely, "Carlos…I must confess, the men I've dated in the past, they've never done anything like this, dancing, telling me about their childhood, I feel kind of special."

"You are a special kind of woman, Babe," Carlos said, spinning Stephanie around, "And I plan to treat you like the woman you deserve to be treated like."

"Carlos," Stephanie asked softly, looking up into Carlos's brown eyes, "Is this going to be a long term thing? You aren't going to get bored of, me, like other men…."

"Never, Babe, I'm falling in love with you every day," Carlos said with a smile, pressing his forehead with Stephanie's , "I want you in my life for a long time, I want you in Heidi's life for a long time, for as long as you want to be with us."

Stephanie smiled and said, "I think I want to be with you both for a long time….now, dip me….."

"Babe, this is not a song you dip to…."

TBC….

* * *

D'aww, I don't know who's cuter, the children or the couples...please leave a review, they make me write faster...


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30, enjoy! I'm trimming down the amount I update daily, and at what time, I have so much on my plate this summer before I head of to Asia...bleh so late in the afternoon, once a day!

Warning: Almost smut!

Disclaimer in chapter one!

Please review? Owo

* * *

_A Mommy For Papi and me_

_Chapter 30_

* * *

"This is too cute," Stephanie said, looking at the four small bodies lying in the middle of the large bed, "Well, I'm glad they're asleep. "

"I know," Carlos said looking at the side table clock, "It's almost 2 in the morning, I could use a nice long sleep."

Carlos turned to Stephanie and said, "There's a spare bed in the office of this penthouse, you can sleep there, I'll take the couch."

Stephanie grabbed Carlos's hand and said, "You don't have to take the couch, you can sleep with me, I'm sure the bed is big enough, besides, we're going to be sleeping with some clothes on.

Carlos gripped Stephanie's hand tightly and then said, "I'll stay on my side of the bed then."

"I think you have plenty of self-control to not jump me," Stephanie chided as the two walked across the penthouse and into the office which had a pink bed in it, with princesses covering the top of it, "Oh, this is Heidi's room, when she's here, right?"

"Yes, it's just in case, but usually whenever we're at Rangeman, she sleeps with me in my bed, she starts off in her bed, but finds a way into my room."

Stephanie stepped out of her heels saying, "That is too cute," looking over to Carlos, "You both are too cute."

"Babe, there's nothing cute about me," Carlos said, unbuttoning his shirt and taking it off, "I'm more of the sexy type."

"Okay," Stephanie said her eyes roaming Carlos's fit chest, "Maybe there's nothing cute about you."

They stripped their dancing clothes off in silence and, without looking at one another, climbed into the large bed, facing away from each other. Stephanie could feel Carlos's body and shifted slightly in the bed. She was so close to him, dressed in only a bra and a pair of panties. What happened to sleeping with their clothes on?! Things could happen, dressed like this! Oh goodness, what if Carlos grabbed her in her sleep and grabbed her breast. It wasn't like she objected to that, oh those large hands cupping her breasts and squeezing them tightly it would-

"Babe, you're thinking too hard," Carlos said, turning to look at Stephanie in the darkness, "What are you thinking about, Babe?"

"Nothing big," Stephanie said, turning to look at Carlos, "It's just, we're together, in a bed, almost naked."

"We are," Carlos said, softly, turning away from Stephanie and turning on the side lamp, "And?"

Stephanie blinked against the lights and then bit her lip, looking up at Carlos, "It's just, the idea of us being together, like this, leads to some other thoughts. "

"Oh, what kind of thoughts?" Carlos asked, leaning on his elbow and looking down at Stephanie, who blushed and looked away.

"It's been a while since I've thought of sex," Stephanie said softly, looking over to Carlos, "But, I can't help it now, since you're right beside me, in the bed, in only a pair of boxers/briefs, yes, I snuck a peak at them, Carlos. Carlos, I can't help but to look at you, you're so sexy, and you make me think these thoughts."

"Thoughts about what?" Carlos asked, softly, leaning down closer to Stephanie, who shuddered and gripped the bed sheets tightly.

"Thoughts about you and me, having sex," Stephanie said softly, lifting herself up and looking into Carlos's brown eyes, "I like those thoughts, Carlos."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Carlos could feel himself get hard at the words Stephanie spoke to him. Dios it was all that he could do to not pin her down to the bed and have his way with her. To be buried deep inside of her to hold her tight or to just let her ride him. It had been ages since Carlos had thought about sex and it had been even longer since he had sex. After the death of Heidi's mother and after Heidi's birth, sex flew out the window, hell, he hadn't masturbated in a long time. He had other things to take care of, like a child and a multi-million dollar business. Though, now that he had Stephanie underneath him, looking up at him and telling him that she wanted to have sex with him. Carlos wanted to so badly, so damn badly..

Carlos let out a groan and said, "Babe, please, don't say that."

Carlos felt Stephanie grab at him and arch into his frame, "Please, Carlos, these thoughts, I want to have sex with you, please, fuck me."

That was all Carlos needed to say, before he reached down and grabbed Stephanie and pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. Their tongues played with one another and their hands gripped one another. Stephanie let out a moan and lay on her back, letting Carlos lay on top of him. Carlos pulled the covers off of them and growled, "Babe, tell me to stop, please, tell me to stop."

"No, don't stop, Carlos," Stephanie gasped as Carlos nipped at her neck, "Don't stop, please."

Carlos let out a groan and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled Stephanie tight to him and let go of her. Stephanie smiled up at him and popped the front clasp of her bra open and pulled it away to reveal her breast. Carlos growled with want and then leaned down to pull a pink nipple into his mouth. He heard Stephanie let out a groan of pleasure as arch up into his mouths as his tongue lapped around a perky pink. Carlos wrapped his lips around Stephanie's nipple and then he sucked, hard. Stephanie arched her back and moaned loudly, wrapping her legs around Carlos's waist. They begin to grind against one another, their lips finding one another and their kisses slow and lazy.

"More, I need more," Stephanie said with a lusty smile, "Please Carlos, I need to feel you in me…"

Carlos leaned back on his hunches and pulled Stephanie's legs from around his waist. He grabbed at her panties and pulled them over her bottom and down her thighs, until they hung off of one of her legs, in a bunch. Carlos pulled his boxers/briefs down and pulled Stephanie against him, his erection digging into her mound. He let out a groan and slowly began to push the tip in.

"Papi!" Both Carlos and Stephanie froze at the call. It was Heidi calling out for her father. They could hear her moving around in the living room. Carlos let out a groan and pulled up his underwear . He gave Stephanie a peck on the kiss and said, in a soft voice, "Babe, maybe it's a sign…taking it slow, remember?"

Stephanie nodded her head and said, "But it's so hard to take it this slow…."

"I know, Babe," Carlos said, as Stephanie covered herself up with the blankets. Carlos got up and made his way out of the office and over to Heidi who was in the kitchen, sitting on the little footstool, drinking a bottle of water, "Bella, what are you doing up?"

"Thirsty," Heidi said, as Carlos stood over her looking down at her, "Did you have a good date, Papi?"

"Mhmm," Carlos said, sitting down beside Heidi on the footstool, "I took Stephanie dancing, remember when I took you dancing?"

"Mhmm, you said that I was a natural dancer," Heidi said drinking more water, "Papi….can I tell you something?"

"Of course you can, Bella," Carlos said, pulling Heidi into his lap, "What do you want to tell me?"

"Well. I made a wish on Mister Star," Heidi said softly, leaning against her father, "And it was a big wish I made too."

"What was the big wish, Bella?" Carlos asked Heidi who giggled and looked up at her father, "Bella?"

"I wished for a Mommy and Mister Star got me Stephanie." Heidi said clapping her hands and looking up at Carlos, "Stephanie is my new mommy, right, Papi?"

"Bella," Carlos said, running a hand over Heidi's head, "It's complicated, you know what complicated means, right?"

"It means hard, Papi, but, why is Stephanie being my Mommy so hard?" Heidi asked, slouching in her father's arm, "I want Stephanie to be my Mommy."

"I know you want to, Bella," Carlos said softly, "But, it's going to take time, okay, maybe Miss. Stephanie doesn't want to be your mother…"

"No!" Heidi said, getting up from her father's lap, "Stephanie is going to be my Mommy, she can't say no, I want Miss. Stephanie to be my Mommy!"

"Bella, please," Carlos said, watching Heidi's eyes fill up with tears, "Oh Bella…."

"Diesel has a Mommy, so do Mary Alice and Angie, I want a Mommy too," Heidi sobbed softly , "Why did my Mommy have to go to sleep forever!"

"Bella" Carlos said, hugging Heidi to him as she cried softly,"I know it's hard Bella, I know, you have to be a big girl, Bella, right? You still have me, remember?"

"But I want a Mommy and a Papi," Heidi sobbed in her father's chest, "Why can't I have both it's not fair."

Carlos rocked Heidi slowly in his arms, humming a song in her ear. They stayed in that position until Heidi's sobs stop and he breathing evened out and she fell asleep in his arms. Carlos picked her up in his arms , pausing to get a cool wet cloth and wiping her tear stained face. He carried her to the master bedroom and placed her back on the bed, covering her up. His poor Bella, she only wanted one thing and he didn't know if he would be able to deliver. It was all up to the woman in his office.

(~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie let out a giggle, watching the four children pull Carlos this way and that way as they walked through the little county fair. Carlos had promised them a day of fun I they behaved for Ella, and Ella had told him that they were perfect little angels. They had gone out of Trenton and to a little county fair, where the children made a beeline to all the cotton candy.

"Let's ride the Ferris Wheel," Angie said, tugging at Carlos's hand.

"NO way, the hurl a whirl!" Diesel said, grabbing at Carlos's pant leg

"No, the petting farm with the horses!" Mary Alice said, grabbing Carlos's shirt.

"I wanna go on the Merry Go Round," Heidi said, from her perch on Carlos's shoulders .

"Okay, let's do this, we'll do the Ferris Wheel and Merry Go Round first, then Diesel and I will go on the Hurl and Whirl and then we'll head off to the petting zoo got it?" Carlos said to the group, earning head nods, "Okay, and then, we'll head off to any other ride and then to dinner, and then we're taking all of you home, got it?"

"Got it!" the group said before heading off to the Ferris Wheel. Stephanie grabbed Carlos's hand and said, "You're a good man, Carlos, you spoil them all."

"I know I do," Carlos said with a smile, looking at Stephanie, who smiled back at him, "Babe, I had a talk with Heidi last night, and it made me think, a lot."

Once the children were on the Merry Go Round, Carlos turned to Stephanie and said, "Babe, I've come to realization that, I need to settle down, and I need to find a suitable mother for Heidi. I love falling in love with you, Babe, but, I need to know, if this is for the long road, or am I temporary thing. Heidi told me something last night that shook me, she asked me for something I have no power over."

Stephanie let out a sound as Carlos grabbed her hands and said, "Stephanie I need to know, and you don't have to answer now, if you're going to be in our lives forever, I'm not going to lie, Stephanie, I want you in our lives, I want all you Stephanie Plum…"

Stephanie bit her lip and then said, in a soft voice, "That's a big question to ask me, I'll think it over, Carlos, I mean, I don't want to be temporary, but I don't know about forever…."

"It's alright Babe, take all the time you need," Carlos said with a smile, leaning over to kiss Stephanie on the lips, "It's only right, since I've asked you such a big thing."

TBC…

* * *

That's a big choice for Stephanie, I think it's going be a hot minute, before Stephanie answers Carlos. Please leave a review, they make me write faster!


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31,enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Enjoy!

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 31

* * *

"So he asked you to be a part of his life for forever," Lula said, scrolling through the website, looking at all the pictures that were on the website now, "Hmm, these are good, oh, this one is very nice, I like the one with Brittany on the bed."

"I don't know what to say to him, I mean, I want to be with him, but forever? That would mean, marriage, and I got out of a bad one a year ago, I don't want to jump into another one so soon!"

"Well, let's compare the two men," Brittany said from her spot on the couch of the shop, "When we talk a look at the two men we'll find that they are entirely two different creatures. Man one: Carlos."

"He's Cuban, runs a successful security firm," Stephanie listed off as she packed another mail order, "He's kind, gentle and he's a good father."

"Okay," Brittany said, leafing through order forms for Stephanie, "Now, the Dick…apart from being poor, what else can we say about him?"

"He's a dick," Lula said earning a nod from Stephanie, "What else, Steph?"

"He's egotistical, a cheating bastard, who slept with the town slut," Stephanie said, earning two head nods from the women in the shop, "He's a jerk, he has nothing on Carlos, he can't even be a tenth of the man Carlos is, and I know for a fact that Carlos would never do what the dick did to me, he'd never cheat on me, he wouldn't fuck the town slut on the table, and wouldn't pressure me into something I didn't want. He never told me that he wanted his answer now, that I had all the time in the world. I want to be with him, I want to be a family with Heidi and Carlos."

"And….."Lula said, looking over to Stephanie who sat down on a stool, her eyes wide with realization.

"Carlos wants me to be Heidi's mother, and he wants to…." Stephanie said breathlessly, "He wants to ma-"

The three women jumped as Stephanie's phone went off. Stephanie groaned and answered her phone with a quick, "Yes?"

"Hey there grandbaby," Grandma Mazur's voice filled the empty shop, "I was calling to see how you were doing today."

"I'm good grandma, the shop's closed on Mondays but the girls and I are in today filling up orders from the website," Stephanie said, as she finished taping one of the boxes, "What's up?"

"I have to tell you something, but I can't say it on the phone, you and the girls come and get me, and we'll have lunch at your shop."

"Alright, we'll go get chicken, since I'm in the mood for it," Stephanie said, placing the shipping label on the boxes, "We'll be there soon."

Stephanie hung up the phone and then looked at Brittany and Lula, "Okay, ladies, let's pack these boxes up in Lester's SUV, take them to the UPS store and get them shipped and go to Cluck In a Bucket."

"Now, I've lived in Jersey or about two years, I've never been to this restaurant, I kind of stopped going to fast food places since my men friends took me to the best places up and down the east coast." Brittany said, helping Stephanie grab some boxes, "How does it taste?"

"Girl, you're in for a treat," Lula said, earning a nod from Stephanie. "We're getting the biggest bucket they have, the 40 piece!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

It was Carlos's week to do the enrichment program and he had it planned down to a tee. First he would make them do a bit of warm up and then show them a few kiddie friendly self-defense moves. Carlos also brought them all healthy organic fruit smoothies to drink during their cool down. They would have a good day today.

Carlos looked at the five children in front of him and gave them each a long stare down. He gave Diesel a longer one, since he caught the boy's hand on his child's shoulder too many times.

"Alright, little soldiers," Carlos said, walking around the five small bodies, "Today, I'm going to teach you some basic moves of self-defense, can any of you tell me what self-defense is?"

"It's when you have to fight to not get beaten up, sir!" Louis, a little brown haired boy said, looking up at Carlos, who nodded his head,

"Mhmm, good answer solider," Carlos said, nodding his head and looking at the four children, "Now, the first thing we're going to do is warm up, we'll start with jumping jacks and running in place."

Carlos chuckled watching the children do their warm-ups. They were too cute, too bad they don't stay this cute. After they finished with their warm up, Carlos put his hands behind his back and said, "Soldiers, I hope you know stranger danger, right?"

"Yes sir!" The children chirped, nodding their heads.

"Even if they offer us candy, or tell us bad things will happen if we don't go with them!" Sakura said, nodding her head, "Strangers are bad!"

"Good, good, good," Carlos said to the children, earning smiles, "Now, I'm going to show you all how to handle strangers if they grab you, now, I'm going to have Heidi here, be my volunteer, since Heidi here, knows basic and advanced self-defense."

Heidi smiled and then ran over to her father, hugging his legs, saying, "I love you, Papi!"

"Now, now," Carlos said, with a chuckle, as Heidi let go of his legs, "Now, Heidi, we're going to show them what happens if a stranger tries to grab you from the front."

"Kay!" Heidi said getting into position, "I'm ready Papi!"

Carlos turned to the other four children, and said, "So, if a stranger tires to grab you from the front, you can either punch or kick them where it hurts."

Heidi frowned and said, "Do I really have to hurt you, Papi?"

"No you don't have to hurt me," Carlos said with a smile, "Now, Bella, let's show them what we do."

Carlos ran forward to Heidi who thrust forward her fist and made to punch Carlos in his groin area. Carlos turned to the children and said, "Now, children, you saw what Heidi did, in real stranger danger situation, you punch them as hard as you can, got it?"

"Got it!" the children said with a smile, nodding their heads.

"Now, remember, kick and punch," Carlos said with a head nod, "Now, if they do grab you, you either go limp, or fight them, kicking, punching and screaming, make a scene if you're in a public place."

Carlos earned head nods from the children and said, "Okay, now we're going to show you what should happen if you're grabbed from behind."

Carlos wrapped his arms around Heidi and said, "Now, if you're grabbed from behind, by a stranger, wiggle yourself until you have enough space for your elbows and get your wanna be kidnapper in the solar plexus!"

Heidi perked up and snapped, "Like this?!" jabbing Carlos in the torso, making him groan in pain, falling to his knees, "Uh oh…."

Carlos nodded his head and said, in a strain voice, "Good job, Bella…"sitting up on his knees, "Now…let's all try it, but please, don't hurt me."

After 35 minutes of trying out their moves and accidentally hurting Carlos, they stopped trying out their new moves and sat at their little table, sipping the smoothies Carlos brought them. Carlos sipped his own drink and said, "Good job, little ones, did you have fun?"

"I can't wait to show my Mommy and Daddy!" Louis said with a giggle, earning three head nods form the other children, "Thank you Papi!"

"You're welcome, children," Carlos said, before turning to Heidi, "Okay, Bella, time for us to go."

"Oh, wait, I gotta go with you too!" Diesel said standing up, "Deda said that I have to go with you too, right Mr. Charles?"

"Oh, he did say that," Mr. Charles said with a chuckle, making Carlos groan, "Thaddeus, grab your bag, have a good day you three!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"So, ladies, sexy man," Grandma Mazur said with a smile, looking over to Stephanie, Brittany, Lula and Lester, "I have something important to tell you Stephanie, and I think it's best that you all know about it."

They had spread their food around the long counter of Stephanie's shop. Brittany had fallen in love with the food they got, apparently, she loved greasy fatty foods and Cluck In A Bucket checked off all the boxes on her list.

Grandma Mazur leaned over and said, "Well, I was at home, packing some things up for this trip I'm going on with Doug, we're going to the Florida for this huge 60 and up Halloween party next week. I was about to leave, when I heard someone enter the house and greet your mother. Your father is out all day long, so I was thinking it was a friend, or what have you. It turns out, it was Joe Morelli, the cute cop, who's trying too hard with you. Well, they must not have heard me moving around, so I went and eavesdropped on their conversation."

Stephanie nearly dropped her piece of chicken at what Grandma Mazur had to tell her.

"They're planning on snatching you up, and taking you somewhere, sweetie pie," Grandma Mazur said, "Your mother has it in her head that he's the one who's going to save her from embarrassment and get you married. All she cares about Is saving face, no matter the cost. Kidnapping is a felony, and so…she's going to go to jail for this!"

"Oh no," Stephanie moaned, putting her meal down, "Now I have to worry about my mother and Joe? What else do I have to worry about?"

"You shouldn't have said that," Brittany singsonged, as Stephanie's phone went off, "Things always happen when you say that!"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and answered her phone and said, "Yes?"

"Babe," It was Carlos on the other end of the line, "How are you today?"

"Good," Stephanie sighed, looking over to her friends, "Though, I've been given some bad news about my mother…."

"Babe, sorry to hear that," Carlos said, earning a soft laugh from Stephanie.

"It's alright, thanks, for the apology about my mom, I'll tell you about it when I get to your house."

"I won't be home when you get there, Babe," Carlos said with a sigh, making Stephanie lift her head up, "I'm on a plane to California to be a liaison for the army. I'll be there for the next week."

"Oh, sorry to hear that, Carlos," Stephanie said with a sigh, "I'll see you next week, I guess…"

"Well, that's where you come in, Babe," Carlos said with a soft sigh, "Babe, I need to ask you to do a favor for me…"

"Okay….." Stephanie said, with a nervous smile, "What is it, Carlos…"

"I need for you to watch Heidi for that week," Carlos said making Stephanie perk up, "I would take her to her grandfather's house, but since he's in England, and this is short noticed…I can ask Tank, he'll watch her no problem…"

"No, I can watch her!" Stephanie said quickly, making everyone look at her, "I can watch Heidi that week, easy peasy…"

"Thank you, Babe, she's over at Maxim's house now, with Beverly, but, at 6 he'll bring her back home. I left a list for you with Heidi's daily schedule, she'll tell you what to do, but watch out for her, she's slippery as a snake."

"It's alright, Carlos," Stephanie said with a smile, "I got this under control, you have fun in Sunny Cali, and bring back lots of gifts for us!"

"I will Babe, have a good evening," And Carlos hung up the phone.

Stephanie hung her phone up and said, with a smile, looking at the group, "I'm watching Heidi this week, isn't it grand?!"

"The poor child," Brittany said, shaking her head, "She's in for it…."

TBC…..

* * *

I Think Brittany is underestimating her friend, or else she's a jerk...lol...please leave a review, they make me write faster!


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32, enjoy! Stephaine's week with Heidi will be broken up into many chapters so we can enjoy time with the two!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? OwO

* * *

A Mommy For Papi And Me

Chapter 32

* * *

Stephanie pinched Brittany's side and said, "I wouldn't be talking Miss. I can't cook my way out of a paper bag!"

Brittany stuck her tongue out at Stephanie and said, "Okay, okay…..well, you have a charge to look after for a whole week, what are you going to do?!"

"I don't know," Stephanie said with a sigh, looking at the four, "So, what do four year olds like to do?"

"Well, this one likes to have tea parties and has a boyfriend," Brittany said, waving her drumstick around, "She's four, anything you do with her is exciting, oh! I know, Go Halloween costume shopping!"

"Hey, that's right," Lester said, looking at Stephanie, "Rangeman's having a Halloween party, the Saturday after next! You guys have to go and get costumes!"

"Oh that's right!" Lula said with a smile, "Tank and I are going are Spiderman and Spiderwoman, we got our costumes in September."

Oh, Stephanie hadn't known about that tidbit, had she been invited? Stephanie looked over to Lester who chuckled and said, "Yes, you're invited, Carlos has been so busy with work and everything else, he might have skipped giving you your invite…"

Stephanie chuckled and said, "Oh, alright, we'll go costume shopping, I should really make a list, I need some paper!"

Lula grabbed the notepad and a pen, and began to write things down, "Alright, I got costume shopping down, what else…oh I know, spa day, ya'll can go to the spa with Brittany and she can get the works done to her!"

"Oh, that's cool," Stephanie said, while Brittany jabbed at her head.

"Oh, play dates with Diesel," Brittany said, looking up at the group, "You know they have to have their little dates-"

"That's it! I'll set up a date for Heidi and Diesel, they can have a date at Carlos's house, because Carlos is going to be gone, and out of the house…." Stephanie said with a giggle, "We'll have a date night for the children, since I know Maxim would love to be a part of that…."

The group knew damn well that Maxim would be a part of this scheme in a heartbeat. They chuckled and giggled while helping Stephanie with her list for the week. Lester looked over the list and said, "Just in case, we'll have two Rangeman on you 24/7."

"Thank you," Stephanie said with a smile, looking at the group and then at the list, "We need to do some more things, we have date night, costume shopping, spa day …we need some more things!"

"Movie night," Lula said, looking at the three, "Tankie and I will come over with pizza and movies and we'll have a night in."

"Kay…." Stephanie said, looking at the list, "Well, what else?"

"Lester and I will come over as well, Lester can cook, he'll make us all dinner!" Brittany said, bouncing in her seat and kissing Lester, "Make us some Mexican, yes?"

"Alright, I'll cook for us," Lester said with a smile make Stephanie write the night scenario down, "You need something more for this week."

"Hmm, just a day for Heidi and I," Stephanie said, writing something down, "We'll think of something, some bonding time, since I plan on being in this child's life for a long time, like, forever long time."

Brittany and Lula squealed loudly at that confession and then they said, "We have to plan a wedding!"

"A wedding?" Grandma Mazur asked, looking at Stephanie, "Are you getting married?"

"I don't know…" Stephanie said with a smile, looking at the two women, "What?"

"It's only inevitable," Lula said, making Brittany nod her head, "You're together, so, you know, marriage is going to be the next thing, you know!"

"Mhmm," Brittany said to Stephanie, making her shake her head, "Should I write you up a pre-nup, or should I uh…I don't know, buy you some porn or something?"

"Porn or something?" Stephanie echoed, looking at Brittany, who shrugged her shoulders, "That's not what you give to a bride to be, you give her gifts and junk!"

"If I give you porn, then it's a gift!" Brittany argued with a smile, "We'll fix you up right good."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Hello Miss. Stephanie," Heidi exclaimed, running up to Stephanie and hugging her tightly, "Diesel's daddy told me about Papi leaving and how you're going to take care of me all week!"

Stephanie laughed, wrapping her arms around Heidi, who smiled and looked into the house, seeing two Rangeman in the living room, "Oh boy! Cal and Hal! I love it when you two come and spend time with me, can you draw me a skull tattoo like the one you have on your head, Cal? Hal, you promised me a tea party and I want it!"

Heidi ran over to the two hulking men and began talking to them. Stephanie smiled at the group and said, "There's some leftover chicken from lunch today, I thought would all enjoy a night of leftovers."

"That sounds good, Miss. Stephanie," Heidi said, earning a smile from the two men, "Right Hal and Cal?"

"That does sound like a good plan, Princess," Cal said a Heidi climbed on his back, "Since we're stuck with you."

Heidi pouted and said, "I'm not that bad!" looking at the two men, "I could be worse, like that bad first grader who calls me smarty pants."

"Oh, well, we'll find that punk and give him a wedgie," Hal chuckle, making Heidi smile at him.

"Good," Heidi said, with a giggle, making Stephanie frown at the men, "Give him a big one!"

"Hal…Cal…" Stephanie said,placing Heidi's school bag on her hook, "Don't tell her that, okay, Heidi, let's go get some dinner in you, it's 6:20, bedtime is in an hour and a half and we have things to do!"

"Yes Miss. Stephanie, come on Hal and Cal, we have to eat all the food!" Heidi said, climbing off the two men and running over to the kitchen.

"Okay now, there's not a lot of things leftover, I'll make some vegetables and something else for you," Stephanie said, digging through the fridge, "How about Carrots and broccoli?"

"'Kay," Heidi said, leading the two Rangemen over to the cabinets, "Come on, Hal and Cal, we'll set the table, I can do that, right Stephanie?"

"Yup," Stephanie aid, throwing a pack of mixed vegetables into the microwave, "Now, do you want juice or chocolate milk?"

"Chocolate milk!" Heidi said, as she helped Hal and Cal set the table, "We all want Chocolate milk, right?"

"I'll take water," Hal said, with a smile, "I can't drink milk, I'm allergic to it."

"Oh, allergic means you get sick when you eat a certain type of food, right?" Heidi asked, sitting down, beside Hal, "Oh, I'm sorry you get sick when you drink milk, I'll drink your chocolate milk then!"

This was going to be a piece of cake, Stephanie thought as she finished making dinner for them all, they would have a good week together. They had a funny conversation about cartoons around the kitchen table and then Stephanie took Heidi upstairs to take a bath.

"I like it when you wash my hair, Miss. Stephanie," Heidi said as Stephanie gently scrubbed her scalp, "You're much gentler than Papi!"

"Oh, well, thank you, Heidi," Stephanie said, leaning Heidi back to rinse out the shampoo in her head, "Now, close your eyes!"

Stephanie could get used to this mommy thing, it was easy and the child she was watching was so mindful and did what she was supposed to do. What in the world was Carlos talking about when he warned her to watch out for Heidi.

"Time to get out the tub, Heidi," Stephanie said to Heidi who jumped out the tub and wrapped a towel around her small frame.

"Can we call Papi?" Heidi asked Stephanie as she dried herself off, "I wanna say goodnight to him!"

"Okay, I'll call him for you," Stephanie said, getting her phone out and dialing Carlos's number, "After you say goodnight we'll go tuck you in."

Carlos answered in one ring, "Babe…."

"Papi!" Heidi squealed, taking the phone from Stephanie, "Hi Papi, I wanted to call you and wish you a goodnight, I'm going to bed soon!"

"Well, you have a goodnight, Bella, if you ask Miss. Stephanie, maybe she'll read you a story," Carlos said, making Heidi beam up at Stephanie, "I love you, Bella, I'll see you next week, okay?"

"'Kay, I love you too Papi," Heidi said with a smile, "Do you want to talk to Miss. Stephanie?"

"Yes I would, have a good night, Bella," Carlos said, as Heidi passed Stephanie her phone.

"Hello Carlos," Stephanie said with a smile, sitting down in the chair that resided in the large hallway, "Heidi's behaving quite well, I don't know why you had to warn me about her…."

"Oh, it's just a safety precaution, sometimes, my Bella, she can be a handful," Carlos said, as Stephanie shifted so Heidi can sit on her lap, "So, do you have plans for this week?"

"We do, but we're not telling you, they're secret." Stephanie said, earning a chuckle from Carlos and a giggle from Heidi, "Girls only, sorry."

"Oh, well, pardon me," Carlos said, before he said, "Babe, I have to go, I have meetings to go to, I'll check on you both tomorrow morning, I don't think I told you this, but Heidi doesn't have school this week, they have fall breaks at the international school."

"Oh, well, even better for my plans." Stephanie said with a smile, looking down at Heidi who smiled and hugged her, "Okay, well, we have to go Carlos, it's way past someone's bedtime."

"Alright, ladies, you two have a good night." Carlos sai, before he hung up the phone.

Stephanie looked down at Heidi and said, "Well, let's finish drying that hair off, and then get you to bed, we don't want you to get a head cold, now do we?"

"Nope," Heidi said, climbing off of Stephanie's lap, "Come on, Miss. Stephanie, can you read me a story after this?"  
"Of course I'll read you a story!" Stephanie said, following Heidi into her room, "Now, what do you want to read?"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"You don't have enough pictures in your store, Miss. Stephanie," Heidi said from her spot behind the counter with Brittany, "I'm going to draw you a lot of things."

"Why thank you, Heidi, Brittany, why can't you be as productive as Heidi?" Stephanie said, sticking her tongue out at Brittany, who gave her the bird, "Well, at least you're picking up all the slack, since Val's gone. How are she and the girls?"

"They're good, living fine in witness protection, I don't know where they are, but they're safe and happy," Brittany said with a smile, flipping through the mail that Stephanie received, "Oi! I got some mail, I wonder what it says….what in the hell? This is something you should send through the mail."

Stephanie looked over to Brittany and yelped, saying, "Oh my, this is something that little girls shouldn't be seeing," watching Brittany crumple up the photo and toss it in the trash, "Brittany, someone sent you a picture of their junk!"

"I know!" Brittany hissed, looking down at the letter, "Apparently, my photos turned them on, and they want more! They're even looking to buy the nightie I wore for the shoot, well too bad, Lester's not giving up that nightie for nothing."

"Let's hope he doesn't turn into a stalker or some sort," Stephanie said, looking over to Brittany, who shuddered softly, "Like you need a stalker, when you have a terrorist group out for your blood."

"I know right," Brittany said, sitting down, "Lester hates that I'm out and about now, but there's nothing to do at his house, so why not come and give my friend free labor, granted, she pays me in food."

"I'm so grateful that you're a glutton," Stephanie said before she leaned forward and whispered, "I talked to Maxim, last night, we're doing the little date night thing tonight, since they're going out of town Wednesday."

"Oh, this is going to be too cute, what are you doing?" Brittany asked, clapping her hands and looking over to Heidi, who was taping up pictures close to the register.

Stephanie smiled and told Brittany about the plans for the night. Maxim would bring Diesel over in a cute little suit, and Stephanie would get Heidi all dressed up as well. She had placed an order in a Roussini's for their best spaghetti and meatballs, while Maxim ordered chocolate cake from a high end bakery. They would set up a cute little dining table for the two, and then let the magic begin. She couldn't wait for tonight!

Babysitting Heidi was like a walk in the park. Carlos didn't have to warn her about anything!

TBC….

* * *

Stephanie, you naughty woman you...please, leave a review, they make me write faster!


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33 enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi And Me

Chapter 33

* * *

"Dressing up, dressing up…" Heidi said, as Stephanie dug through her closet, "Miss. Stephanie, what are you looking for?"

"A dress for you to wear sweetums, you have a date tonight, with Diesel!"

"Date with Diesel?" Heidi asked, jumping on her bed, "What's a date, Miss. Stephanie."

"It's when you go out and do something with the person you like a lot," Stephanie said, making Heidi smile and jump on the bed again, "You're going a date with Diesel!"

"I can't wait for a date!" Heidi said with a smile, sitting up on the bed.

Stephanie shifted through all the dresses and smiled, finding a pale pink dress with a thin layer of sparkling lace over it. it had thin straps but Stephanie ratified it with a long sleeves white sweater. Stephanie nodded her head and smiled, saying, "Perfect! This is the perfect outfit for your first date."

Stephanie turned to Heidi and frowned, looking at Heidi. Heidi was a right mess, her yellow sweater covered in her lunch and snack and her face had a smudge of chocolate on her face. Her hair had fallen out of the braid Stephanie had made for her. Stephanie needed to bathe her and fast.

Stephanie frowned and said, "We need to get you ready for your date! You need a bath! Come along!"

Heidi slid off the bed and followed Stephanie into the bathroom, where Stephanie had already ran the bath and it was just waiting for Heidi to get in. Stephanie tossed off Heidi's clothes and placed them in the full dirty clothes bin. She would have to run a load in the washer later in the night, when Heidi was fast asleep. Stephanie bathed Heidi quickly, got her out the tub and dried off. She placed lotion on Heidi and then let her run around in her undies and pink camisole while Stephanie found matching shoes for the dress she choose for Heidi. She choose a pair of soft leather Mary Janes, and a pair of white stockings.

"Come here Heidi! Time to get dressed!" Stephanie said, making Heidi run into her bedroom, "It's almost time for your date, I need to do your hair and get you dressed up!"

Heidi jumped on the bed and then went still, letting Stephanie brush her hair and put it into two pigtails. Stephanie pulled the white stockings on Heidi and then slid the dress on her and then the sweater. Stephanie placed Heidi on the ground saying, "Alright, let's take a look at you!"

Heidi smiled and made a pose and smiled. Stephanie took out her phone and took several pictures of the child, "Perfect, you look so cute!"

Heidi smiled and hugged Stephanie saying, "I'm ready for my date!"

"Good, so am I," Stephanie said, picking Heidi up and carrying her down the stairs, "Uh oh…."

The living room was full of people here for Heidi's first date. Stephanie had to barricade the dining room for the two children or else all the adults would be in there, watching the poor children eat. Stephaine gave all the adults a look and said, "Darn it, you all, go into the family room, and don't make a noise, and if you all make a sound, I'm kicking you all out!"

"Miss. Stephanie, why is everyone is here?!" Heidi asked as the group left the two alone in the living room, "Are they coming with me to the date?"

"No, they aren't, don't worry, sweetums." Stephanie said, just as the doorbell rang through the house, "Oh that must be your date!"

Stephanie placed Heidi on the floor, and led her over to the front door. Stephanie opened the door to reveal, Maxim, Beverly and Diesel at the door. Diesel was wearing a cute little black suit, with a flower tucked on the corner of one of the lapels. Diesel gave Stephanie a smile and then turned to Heidi, who buried her face in Stephanie's leg. Diesel held up a bouquet of daises.

"I got you a b-b-book-et of daises," Diesel said, giving Heidi the flowers, "And…I got you some chocolate! Deda has the chocolates, I might have ate them…and you would have been sad."

"Thank you," Heidi said with a smile, taking the flowers and then taking the pink box of chocolates that Maxim handed to her, "Thank you, Diesel's father!"

"Well, come on in, I shall lead you to your dining area," Stephanie said with a bow, looking over to Beverly and Maxim, "Uh, so….uh….family room, yes, go now?"

"Oh, I take it everyone is in there, yes," Beverly said, as Maxim gave Stephanie the small cake, "We'll spy on them from there!"

"Oh goodness," Stephanie said, watching the couple run into the other room, "Come on, Heidi and Diesel."

Stephanie led the two over to the dining room, where the big table had been taken out and the dining room had been decorated into a nice restaurant. There was even a small child sized dining table and chair that had a white cloth on it and a centerpiece made of flowers. Stephanie had found the tables and chair for sale at a furniture store. Apparently, they have model sizes of the furniture they sell and when the season is over, the model furniture is sold for dead cheap. She got the set for less than 30 bucks.

Stephanie let out a little squeal as Diesel pulled the chair out for Heidi and then helped Heidi sit down, before he sat down as well. Stephanie turned to see the childrens' servers, Hal and Cal, come in Cal carrying a tray of appetizers, goldfishes and chicken bites, only a small amount before their meal. Hal carried a tray of juice boxes and coloring books and crayons. The two placed the items on the ground, and then Stephanie said to the two children, enjoy your appetizers, sir, enjoy your night."

Stephanie pushed Cal and Hal out the dining room and then headed for the family room, where everyone was spying on the two children, from behind the slightly opened dining room doors. Stephaie secured a spot beside Lula and Brittany and asked, "Are you all really going to do this?"

"Yes," The group whispered, making Stephanie roll her eyes.

"Oh, they're talking!" Beverly gushed, watching the two children chat away, while coloring pictures.

"I like your dress, Heidi…"

"Thank you, Diesel, I like your suit…I guess when you go on a date, you date at home and wear your good clothes."

"I guess, hey, look at what I drew, it's Godzilla!" Diesel said with a smile, showing Heidi the picture.

"Cool!" Heidi said, as the two went back to coloring.

There was a moment of silence, just the sounds of crayons moving around on then paper, before Heidi piped up and said, "Are you in the Stars program, Diesel?"

"Mhmm," Diesel said, with a smile, looking up at Heidi, "I'm going to be in it too! I'm in the math and science part."

"Oh, no wonder why I don't see you in the foreign language classes," Heidi said, finishing her picture and placing it to the side, "I'm in the math and science part too, why don't I see you in the science classes?"

"Cause, I don't like going to classes, I get to go to the labs and work with the scientists, it's so cool!" Diesel said, with a smile, looking over to Heidi who gasped and bounced in her seat .

"I wanna do that too!" Heidi said with smile, before she leaned forward and asked, "Diesel, do you know what else happens on a date?"

"I don't, Deda always says that you're supposed to say nice thing to the other person, you eat food, and when the other person is talking, pretend to like what they're saying to you."

The group laughed softly at what Diesel told Heidi, this was too cute! Stephanie could see that in the future, there were going to be a few more dates for Heidi and Diesel. She just had to get Carlos to agree about those future dates.

"What about kissing?" Heidi asked, making Diesel look at her, "Do you kiss on a date?"

"I don't need a date to kiss you," Diesel said, giving Heidi a look, "I can kiss you whenever!"

"I know that, but, isn't it better if I kissed during a date, it's more magical, right?" Heidi asked, making Diesel look thoughtful, "So, are you going to kiss me, Diesel?"

"I don't know, maybe…" Diesel said, before he smiled, "Yeah, I'm going to kiss you, Heidi!"

Heidi smiled and leaned forward, puckering her lips. Diesel closed his eyes and leaned forward as well to kiss Heidi. Stephanie let out a sot yelp and motioned for Cal or Hal to interfere with the kissing.

Hal rushed into the kitchen to get the main course while Cal, stepped in and said, "Uh, children, dinner is about to be served, let me take your books from you."

"Thanks Cal," Heidi said with a smile, looking up at the man, before turning to Diesel, "Cal is so cool, did you see that skull on his head!"

"Mhmm, I want one too!" Diesel said, as Hal placed two plates of spaghetti on the table, "Oh….meatballs!"

"This is too cute," Lula said, watching the two children eat, "But, I'm hungry, let's eat some food, while they're eating."

Lula had a point, she was starving too. Luckily, Lester and Brittany brought take away Chinese, and so they ate in the living room. They talked about the children and Maxim and Beverly solidified Diesel's story about working with scientist at a lab. Twice a month, Diesel went up to MIT to work with the scientist in the biotechnology department working with Nanotechnology. Diesel loved working with the scientist and there were times in which he excelled over some graduate students.

"Diesel's too smart for his own good, he's up there with Heidi, their brains work differently from other children," Maxim said, earning a nod from Beverly, "And some of things he talks about goes way over my head….like this one time, he started talking about how nanobots were being created to attack cancer cells, crazy!"

"This is all coming from the boy who's making Carlos grow grey hair?" Stephanie giggled, earning head nods, "Oh goodness, wait until he's older, those two are going to butt heads even more."

"It's going to make family functions exciting," Lula said earning a head nod from Brittany, "Hey….those two have been quiet for a long time…let's go check on them."

The adults ran over to partially opened dining room door and saw that the two children were eating the chocolate cake, feeding one another. It was too cute for Stephanie. Diesel leaned over to Heidi and kissed her cheek saying, "You're my girlfriend, kay?"

"'Kay, I can't wait to tell Papi!" Heidi said with a smile, looking over to Diesel, "In fact, I think I wanna call him and tell him right now!"

What a minute…Stephanie lifted her head up as Heidi ran out the dining room and into the kitchen. Stephanie ran over to the kitchen, and yelped as she heard Heidi talking on the phone.

"Oh yes, Papi, Diesel's my boyfriend! We went on a date and everything!" Heidi said with a giggle, holding the house phone, "Why, Stephanie set up the date, Papi, I really liked it, Diesel's real nice to me and everything, and I-oh, you wanna speak to Stephanie? Kay, she just walked in…I love you too Papi."

Stephanie smiled at Heidi and then took the phone from her. She pressed it up to her ear and didn't say a word. She didn't have to say anything because Carlos said something to her.

"A date….." Carlos deadpanned making Stephanie giggled nervously.

"It's an enriching activity-" Stephanie started, but Carlos let out a sound and Stephanie went silent.

"Babe…I'll see you next week, and we can talk all about the little date Heidi and Diesel had…." Carlos said, before he asked, "Did she enjoy it?"

"She's enjoying it, she's the boy's girlfriend now!" Stephanie said with a smile making Carlos groan.

"Don't remind me," and then Carlos hung up the phone. Stephanie smiled down at the phone, well he didn't sound too mad at Stephanie, oh well, she would deal with him next week, she had a date to finish up.

TBC….

* * *

Stephanie is too crazy...lol please leave a review, they make me write faster!


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34, enjoy!

Warning: none

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi And ME

Chapter 34

* * *

Stephanie had expected the day after Heidi's little date to be full of sunshine and pretty flowers. Heidi had been all nothing but sweet before going to bed and Stephanie had expected her to be the next day. Stephanie woke Heidi up, got her dressed and then took her out to go costume shopping. They went to a high end place with Lula, who was with them to keep an eye out for something cute for the two. Heidi had been surly waking up and had given Stephanie the cold shoulder.

"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Stephanie had joked to Heidi while making her pancakes that morning.

Heidi had fallen off the wrong side of the bed that morning. She must not have gotten a lot of sleep that night.

"Children her age just get angry easily," Maxim had told her over the phone, "This time tomorrow, she'll be happy and sweet again."

Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough, Stephanie thought as Heidi tossed away the princess costume given to her, "Heidi, why are you acting like this?"

Heidi crossed her arms and looked away from Stephanie. She hadn't said a word to Stephanie all this morning. It kind of scared Stephanie. Was she going through puberty already?!

"I want Papi," Heidi said, looking up at Stephanie, "When's he coming home?"

Ah…so that's what it was, she was missing her father, "Well, Heidi, sweetie, he'll be back next Monday."

"I want my Papi now!" Heidi said, stomping her little boot covered foot, "I want my Papi!"

"Uh oh," Lula said, to Stephanie, watching Heidi puff her chest out, her eyes filling with tears, "She's about to pop…"

"What do you mean?" Stephanie started just as Heidi began to scream and cry, falling onto the floor, "Oh boy…."

"I WANT PAPI!" Heidi wailed, having a full blown tantrum, "I WANT MY PAPI!"

"Right in the middle of the store too, got to hand it to her, she knows how to do it…." Lula said, watching Stephanie try to calm Heidi down, "She's going to get everything from Stephanie."

"Heidi, come on sweetie, Papi will be back soon!" Stephanie said, waving away curious people, "Hey now, why don't we stop crying, let's go get some ice cream!"

"NO I WANT PAPI!" Heidi wailed, kicking at the floor, "PAPI! PAPI! PAPI!"

"Do you want a toy, candy, anything?!" Stephanie asked, earning a shout of no from Heidi, "Heidi, please! Stop crying!"

Stephanie took out her phone and said, "Look, we'll call Papi, alright?" making Heidi stop crying, "See, yeah, we'll call him and talk to him…."

Heidi let out a hiccup and sat up as Stephanie dialed Carlos's phone number. He answered in two rings, "Babe, I'm in a-"

"PAPI!" Heidi wailed, grabbing the phone and holding it to her ear, "Papi! I miss you, Papi!"

Stephanie smiled, hearing Carlos say, "Oh, my poor Bella," before he began to speak in Spanish, and Heidi answered him back in Spanish. Heidi turned to Stephanie and sobbed out, "Okay, Papi, I love you too….kay…bye."

Heidi hung up the phone and launched herself at Stephanie saying, "I want Harriet the Ferret….."

"Oh, okay, we'll go home and go get her," Stephanie said, hugging Heidi and picking her up, "Okay? We'll stop by and go get some hot chocolate mix, okay?"

"And some marshmallows?" Heidi asked, earning a nod from Stephanie, "Good."

Stephanie smiled as Heidi buried her face in her neck. There, Heidi was back to being her sweet self, crisis averted. Stephanie turned to Lula and said, "See, all better!"

"Okay, if you say so," Lula said, as the trio walked out the costume shop.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

The crisis Stephanie was talking about might not be over. The rest of the day went by smoothly, they spent it at the shop with Brittany and Lula. Heidi had been extremely quiet, and instead of coloring or talking, she drank the cocoa Stephanie made her and fell asleep on the couch. IT concerned Stephanie a bit, since Heidi usually found her way into everything and anything. They went home with Bobby and Manny, ate a quick meal and then Stephanie put Heidi to bed. Stephanie herself had settled into bed for a few moments, before Heidi opened the door, holding the threadbare stuffed ferret to her chest. Stephanie put down her laptop and said, "Oh, Heidi, you should be asleep."

"Miss. Stephanie…I don't feel so good…" Heidi whimpered, walking over to the bed and climbing on it, "Can I sleep with you?"

"Sure you can," Stephanie said, pulling the covers back and then letting Heidi climb into the bed with her, "Oh, sweetheart, you're a bit warm, how long have you been feeling this bad."

"Since morning, but it wasn't so bad when I woke up," Heidi said, burying her head in Stephanie's chest, "I don't like not feeling good."

"No wonder why you were in a bad mood, Heidi," Stephanie said, placing a hand on Heidi's forehead, "Goodness, you lay here, and I'll go get the thermometer," getting out of the bed and going over to the hallway bathroom that contained most of the medical items. She found an ear thermometer and some children's liquid Advil. Stephanie went downstairs and grabbed a juice box for Heidi and then climbed back upstairs to Heidi, who lay on Stephanie's side of the bed, lying on her stomach.

"Come on, sweetheart," Stephanie said, lifting the child up into her arms, "Let's check your temperature, and then we'll get some sleep."

"'Kay," Heidi said, as Stephanie placed the eat tip of the thermometer in her ear.

"Hmm, you do have a fever," Stephanie said, looking down at the numbers, "okay, let's get you some medicine and get you to bed."

Heidi let Stephanie feed her some of the orange flavored medicine, and then took a few sips from the juice box Stephanie gave her. Stephanie snuggled up to Heidi and turned the light off. Heidi was limp in her arms as soon as the lights went off.

Stephanie woke up to Heidi's sobs and to her hot body. Stephanie sat up in the bed and turned on the lights to look at the time. It was almost six in the morning. Stephanie looked down at Heidi and frowned looking at Heidi's sweat covered body. She was tossing and turning, her eyes clenched shut, her hands gripping the bed sheets. Stephanie placed a hand on Heidi's forehead and said, "You're burning up, Heidi."

Stephanie took Heidi's temperature and nearly did a double take, Heidi had a fever of 106. Stephanie got up from the bed and went to the other guest bedroom and woke up Bobby.

"Bobby, Heidi's burning up," Stephanie said to the man, "She has a fever of 106."

Bobby gave Stephanie a look and said, "Run a cold bath, I'll go get some ice, we need to cool her down and we'll monitor for the next six hours, if that fever doesn't go down, we'll take her to the hospital."

Stephanie ran a cold bath, and then lifted Heidi up and placed her in the bath, in only her undies and undershirt. Heidi was so sick that she didn't even twitch when she was placed in the tub. Stephanie ran cold water over Heidi's forehead, just as Bobby came in with a bag of ice. He dumped the ice in the tub and said, "Leave her in the tub for 20 minutes, and then take her out, we don't want to give her hypothermia."

They did this several times, placing her in the ice bath, and then taking her out of it. All the while, Heidi didn't make a noise or moved. That scared Stephanie a lot, because she knew that if someone put her in an ice bath, she would be screaming and struggling. Stephanie called Lula and told her to open up shop, Heidi was very ill and Stephanie couldn't leave the house.

"Her fever isn't going down," Bobby said, taking Heidi's temperature, "We need to take her to the hospital, I'll call ahead."

Bobby got up and left the room to make a call to the hospital, while Stephanie dried Heidi off and put her in some new pajamas. She noticed that Heidi's breathing was short, shallow and labored, and sometimes, she stopped breathing. Stephanie wrapped her up in a blanket and carried her to Bobby's SUV.

"Heidi's not breathing from time to time," Stephanie said to Bobby as they made their way to the hospital.

"I'll call them to tell them to get the necessary items to get to breathe normally, a few seconds of no oxygen can be devastating to her developing brain." Bobby said, as they pulled into the children's hospital.

The moment they pulled into the hospital, a group of nurses and doctors were waiting for them. Bobby placed Heidi on the stretcher, and followed the group into the hospital, telling them Heidi's vital signs and how long she's had a high fever. The placed Heidi in children's ICU and got on her medicine to try to bring her fever down and to get testing done.

Stephanie let out a shaky sigh, picking the phone up and calling Carlos. He answered with a soft, "Babe."

"I had to take Heidi to the hospital," Stephanie said softly, looking around at the brightly painted waiting room, "She has a high fever, and it's not going down, they put her in ICU, and I'm scared for her and-"

"Babe, what Hospital are you at?" Carlos asked Stephanie, making her sob softly, "Babe, it's going to be okay, just tell me where you're at?"

"We're at Trenton's Children Hospital," Stephanie said, looking at the ICU door, "I don't know anything that's going on, Bobby's back there with her but-"

"Bobby's with her, that's good, he's Heidi's doctor, everything is going to be fine," Carlos said softly, "Babe, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay," Stephanie said softly, gripping her phone tightly, "Hurry up, Carlos."

"I'll be there as soon as possible," Carlos said before hanging up.

Stephanie looked up as Bobby came walking out the ICU area, rubbing his face and making his way over to Stephanie. Stephanie stood up and asked, "How is she?"

"They don't know what's going on with her, they think it might be some sort of virus or infection, they'll tell us when they finish with the tests they're running on her," Bobby said, leaning back in the waiting room couch, "For now, we wait."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Hey, Stephanie," Brittany said, walking over to Stephanie and sitting beside the woman, "Oh, don't worry, she's in good hands, okay?"

"I know," Stephanie said, as Brittany hugged her, "But the doctors have no idea what's wrong with her, and I'm so scared and everything."

Brittany looked over to Lester, who was placing food on the waiting room table. She jerked her head to the man and said, "Lester, sweetums, give Stephanie Harriet, so she can give her to Heidi when she sees her."

"Oh yeah," Lester said, giving Stephanie the stuffed ferret, "Oh, look, it's Bobby and the doctor."

Stephanie turned and stood, holding Harriet to her as Bobby walked over with a woman dressed in a lab coat. She smiled at everyone and said, "Hello, I'm Carol, and I'm the a pediatrician specializing in Virus and Bacterial illnesses. We've managed to find out what happened to Heidi, she has a lymph node bacterial infection and it's attacking her immune system. We've put her on some antibiotics and steroids to stop the infection from spreading to other parts of her body, right now, it's only in her lymph nodes, but it could make its way into her lungs and cause pneumonia or it could make its way up her spine and to her brain and cause serious brain damage."

"Can I go see her?" Stephanie asked, looking at Carol, who nodded her head, "Thank you."

"You need to go through the UV lights, and put on protective gear before you can see Heidi, we don't want her sicker," Carol said, earning a head nod from Stephanie, "Okay, follow me, ma'am."

Stephanie let out a sound as she took Heidi in. She lay in a big bed, with tubes in her nose and wrists. She looked so tiny, dressed in a hospital gown with kittens on it. Stephanie walked over to Heidi and ran her hand over her hair. She hadn't expected Heidi to react to the touch, but the girl turned her head into the touch and moaned. Stephanie froze and then said, in a soft voice, "Heidi, sweetie, it's Stephanie."

"Miss. Stephanie?" Heidi whimpered, opening one eye and turning her head to Stephanie, "Miss. Stephanie…I don't feel good…."

"I know, sweetie," Stephanie said, sitting down beside Heidi's bed, "You're in the hospital now, you'll get better here, okay?"

"Kay," Heidi said, opening her other eye and giving Stephanie a weak smile, "Harriet….."

Stephanie placed the stuffed ferret beside Heidi and said, "I got her just for you, so you wouldn't be lonely here in this scary place."

"Papi told me that Harriet used to be my Mommy's," Heidi said, looking over to Stephanie, "I talk to Mommy through Harriet, I think she's lonely where she's at. She's sleeping for forever…"

"I know that, sweetie," Stephanie said, grabbing Heidi's hand and squeezing it, "It's very nice of you to talk to your Mommy through Harriet."

"I want to be with Mommy, but, I can't leave Papi, he'll be lonely," Heidi said softly, looking down at Harriet, "That's why I made a wish on Mister Star, I want a new Mommy for Papi and Me."

Stephanie sat up as Heidi looked over to her and asked, "Miss. Stephanie, I like you a lot, and Papi likes you a lot, and you make the best pancakes and give the best bubble baths. Miss Stephanie are going to be my new Mommy?"

Stephanie looked down into Heidi's large amber eyes and felt her heart melt at the sight of tears dropping down Heidi's cheek. Stephanie lifted her hand up and wiped away the tear, she was in love with this child's father, and she was in love with this child. She knew right then and there, that she wouldn't leave their lives, even if you tried to force her away from them. She wanted to be Heidi's new Mommy very much.

"Yes, Heidi, I'm going to be your new Mommy," Stephanie said, watching Heidi smile brightly up at her, "I'm never going to leave you or your Papi.

"Can I call you Mommy?" Heidi asked softly, her eyes fluttering shut, "Miss. Stephanie, is it alright if I can call you my Mommy?"

"Of course it's alright if you call me Mommy," Stephanie said, as Heidi fell asleep, "I'd be honored if you did."

"Thank you, Mommy," Heidi sighed, her breathing slowing down and her arm wrapped tightly around Harriet.

"You're welcome Heidi," Stephanie said , running her hand over Heidi's head, "You are very welcome."

TBC…

* * *

Aww, that's so sweet, but Heidi's in the hospital, don't worry, Papi will be there soon! Please leave a review, they make me write faster!


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35, enjoy! Sorry about the long delay, it's the holiday, and I went out of town, and everything, I've finally found itme to sit down and post a new chapter. I've been all over the place these last few days. Anyways, enjoy your holidays, if you're in the USA, like I am, and for the other readers, enjoy your weekend!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? Owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi And Me

Chapter 35

* * *

Stephanie let out a sound, running up to Carlos and hugging him tightly, burying her head in his neck, letting him whisper Spanish in her ear to help calm her down. Stephanie let go of Carlos and said, "She's so sick, and the doctor is so concerned and she's in ICU and her fever only went down one degree-"

"Babe," Carlos said, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Babe, calm down, it's going to be okay, come one, let's go find Heidi's doctor."

Stephanie led Carlos over to Carol, who shook Carlos's hand and told him what was going on. Carol sat the two down and said, "Mr. Manoso, Heidi's in the ICU, she'll be there for a while, until we can get her temperature down. Right now, we've done some testing on Heidi's immune system and found that the infection had weakened her immune system to the point in which a common cold can kill her. Truth be told, she doesn't have an immune system, and once we get the infection cleared up and her temperature down, she'll be in the hospital until her immune system is strong again."

"How long will that be?" Carlos asked, earning a shrug from Carol.

"It all depends on how well Heidi responds to the medicine and the supplements we put her on, if she doesn't respond the way we hope she does, she'll be here for a month or so, until we can cater a medicine regime for her to take. IF she responds wonderfully, she'll be out in two weeks."

Carlos nodded his head and said, "I want to see my child," making Carol nod her head and motioned for Carlos to follow her.

"I've already seen her, I'll wait out here with Lester and Brittany," Stephanie said, grabbing Carlos's hand, "Carlos, we need to talk afterwards, about us, okay?"

"Babe," Carlos said, before following Carol to Heidi's ICU room.

Stephanie turned to look at her laptop, which Brittany brought her. It was almost 4AM. Carlos got held up in California and it took him a bit to get back to Trenton. Stephanie doubted that he would leave the hospital, not when his child was in the ICU, alone and scared. Stephanie wasn't going to leave the hospital either, she would stay here for as long as she could, Lula and Brittany would run the store for her. She had been speaking to the two women about the sales, and Stephanie found out that she was making a pretty penny. She was discussing about spreading out, since people have been demanding her clothing in other parts of the state and in other states. Brittany talked to a few of her real estate friends and economist, (Brittany told Stephanie over and over again that she made a lot of friends when she needed expert witnesses,) The only real competition Stephanie had was Victoria Secret and chain department stores and what Stephanie was designing was something novel and it had Victoria Secret scrambling in Trenton. Though, for right now, all her thoughts were on the little girl in the ICU unit. It was officially unofficial; Stephanie was her mother now, she just needed to tell that to Carlos, though Heidi would tell the man as soon as she woke up, she told Carlos everything.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Carlos sat down in the chair beside Heidi's hospital bed, placing a hand on Heidi's head. She was fast asleep, holding Harriet to her chest tightly. She was attached to several machines and had a single tube going into her nose. His poor Bella, when she got sick, she got sick, the last time she got ill, she had spent two weeks in bed with the flu.

"Oh, Bella," Carlos said, resting a hand on Heidi's head, "Bella, I'm here now, sweet heart, Papi's here to watch over you."

Heidi shifted in the bed and let out a weak moan, turning to open het glazed over eyes. She smiled up at Carlos and said, "Papi….you're here."

"I am," Carlos said, resting his head on the side of Heidi's bed, watching as Heidi struggled to sit up, Bella, you need to keep still, you need all your strength, sweetheart."

"But I wanna sleep with you, Papi," Heidi said softly, trying to turn her body to her father, "Papi, why are you wearing that mask and that cap?"

"Because, sweetie, Papi doesn't want to make you any sicker," Carlos said, grabbing one of Heidi's small hand, "You're really sick, remember the last time you got sick?"

"Yeah…." Heidi said, looking down at the IV going in her hand, "I was in bed for a long time, Papi…."

"I know, sweetheart, but this time, you're very sick, you can't leave this area of the hospital until your fever goes down, once you do, you get to go to another part of the hospital, until you get better."

"How long will I be in the hospital?" Heidi asked, "I have to go to school and everything."

"Well, If your fever goes down soon, and you respond to the medicine they give you, maybe two weeks, Bella," Carlos said, watching Heidi's eyes go wide with horror, "Bella, it takes time to get well, you're very ill, if you leave the hospital, you could get even sicker and go to sleep for a long time."

Heidi shook her head and said, "I don't wanna go to sleep for a long time, Papi! I wanna be awake to be with you and Mommy."

"Mommy?" Carlos asked, looking over to Heidi who nodded her head bashfully, "Who's your Mommy?"

"Miss. Stephanie is my new Mommy, I asked her I she would be our new Mommy and she said yes," Heidi said with a smile, looking over to Carlos, watching his eyes widen, "What's wrong Papi?"

"Nothing, Bella," Carlos said, looking at Heidi who smiled at him, "It's just the fact that I got an answer to my question."

"Oh what question, Papi?" Heidi asked, placing Harriet on the side of her body without the wires and tube.

"Nothing big, it just has to deal with Miss. Stephanie." Carlos said with a smile, running his hand over Heidi's hair, "So, Bella, do you want to hear about my few days in California, I bought you back a stuffed Panda Bear from the San Francisco Zoo and some chocolate, but, it'll have to wait, until you're out of the ICU, Bella."

"Oh, then, I'll have to get all better, Papi," Heidi said with a smile, "I wanna be with you and Mommy now!"

"So, Stephanie is your new Mommy now?" Carlos asked Heidi, earning a bright smile and a head nod, "Well, then, is she going to be with us forever?"

"Mhmm, so I have to get better, Papi," Heidi said with a smile, making Carlos smile, "Are you going to marry my new Mommy, Papi?"

"I plan on it," Carlos said, making Heidi giggle, "Bella, it's time for you to get some rest, when you wake up, I'll be right back here."

"Can you bring Mommy as well?" Heidi asked, earning a head nod from Carlos, "I'd like that a lot, Papi."

"I know you would, Bella," Carlos said softly, running his hand over Heidi's head, "Go to sleep now, Bella."

"Okay," Heidi said, pulling Harriet close to her body, "Good night, Papi."

"Good night, Bella," Carlos said, sitting with Heidi as she fell asleep, "I'll watch over you, while you sleep."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie looked up from her laptop, hearing Carlos walk over to her. He was out the standard ICU protective gear and was pulling his hair out the ponytail he pulled it up into. He looked down at Stephanie, who looked up at him and then motioned, with the sharp movement of his head for Stephanie to follow him.

Stephanie turned to look at the small group in the waiting room of the hospital and got up, following Carlos to a more secluded place. When they found an empty private waiting room, Carlos closed the door and locked it, turning to Stephanie. He gave her a look, and then a smile and said, "You've made up your mind."

"I did, I want to be with you, Carlos, I want to be with both you and your child," Stephanie said with a smile, "I hope you don't mind that Heidi found out first."

Carlos walked over to Stephanie, grabbed Stephanie by her waist and kissed her deeply saying, "I think it made her feel 200 times better, knowing that she has someone who loves her very much to take up such a challenging role."

Stephanie smiled and said, "It's not so bad, Heidi's a sweetheart, barely throws tantrums, though the day before she got put in the hospital, she threw one."

"She doesn't know how to handle being sick, and if I'm not around, she gets really cranky," Carlos said, kissing Stephanie softly on the lips again, "But she won't with you anymore, Stephanie, she'll be underneath you all the time."

"Oh, I can't wait," Stephanie said, resting her head on Carlos's shoulder, "Carlos, are we going to get married?"

"Do you want to?" Carlos asked, looking down at Stephanie who smiled nervously and bit her lip.

"Maybe," Stephanie said, looking up at the man, "I wouldn't mind being Mrs. Manoso, you know."

"I wouldn't mind it either," Carlos said with a chuckle, pressing closer to Stephanie, "But, we don't have to get married tomorrow, whenever you want, all you have to tell me is that you're ready."

"I'll be ready soon, I hope," Stephanie said with a giggle, looking over to Carlos, "But for now, I think I'll contend with my new position as Heidi's Mother."

TBC….

* * *

Whoo, sorry it's so short...I'm so busy this weekend. Please, leave a review, they make me write faster!


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36, enjoy! It took me 12 hours to get back home, I was beat, sorry about not posting this past weekend and yesterday, the holidays are a bear, anyways, enjoy!

Warning: None..oh...maybe...inner nerd alert at the end...

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please Review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi And Me

Chapter 36

* * *

Stephanie could finally see why Carlos freaked out whenever Diesel was around Heidi. Now that she had a parental obligation to the child, she could see what Carlos saw; a little, grabby, touchy, feeling boy! Two weeks after Heidi was admitted into the ICU, she was allowed to leave, when her temperature fell under 103 degrees. She was still treading on dangerous grounds, but she was off of oxygen, eating some solid foods again and getting up to go to the bathroom. Her immune system was still shot, and she was extremely susceptible to falling ill. The medicines and supplements the doctors put her on were barely working, and it would seem that Heidi would be stuck on medicines to protect her from falling dangerously ill for the rest of her life. It wasn't nothing major, just an IV bag full of dark red liquid for two hours once a month. Heidi didn't like needles, but she wouldn't have to worry about the first two sessions since she already had an IV in her.

Dr. Carol thought it would be wise if Heidi stayed in the hospital for two months, because she wasn't losing her temperature and the other was to let the medicine work its way into her system. The temperature was the biggest problem, since her raised body heat cook damage fragile organs. They were especially paying attention to her brain and lungs. Carlos would sit with her, when she got her MRI, or Stephanie would, if he had to go to meetings or do some work. Heidi was a trooper, she took to her extended stay in the hospital with stride. It was her little boyfriend, however, who didn't take it with stride.

"I wanna kiss my Heidi!" Diesel demanded stomping her foot and glaring at Heidi's doctor, "Why can't I kiss my Heidi, lady?!"

Carol looked down at Diesel and gave him a pretty smile, "You can't kiss Heidi because she can get very sick and you don't want that right?"

Diesel looked thoughtfully over to Heidi, who was sitting in the children's area of the waiting room, with a mask on, coloring with Sakura and Stephanie. Diesel took in the long metal stand beside Heidi that had tubes connected to her arm, "Why does she have tubes going to her?"

"That's where she gets her medicine, Diesel," Maxim said, crouching down to talk to his son, "She's very sick now, so there's medicine in the tubes that are helping her fight her illness."

"Oh," Diesel said, looking at the doctor and then over to Heidi, "Well then, I really shouldn't be kissing Heidi on the lips, but I'll kiss her on her cheek!"

"Oh goodness…" Maxim said, as Diesel ran off to kiss Heidi, "They'll have their hands full with that one."

"Now you can't kiss Heidi," Stephanie said, holding out her arm so that Diesel couldn't kiss Heidi like he wanted to do, "You could get her sick on accident."

"No I wouldn't, in fact, my kisses would make her all better!" Diesel argued, crossing his arms and pouting, "It's not fair!"

"My Mommy and Papi can't kiss me, so it's not only you," Heidi said, looking up from her coloring, "Besides, Diesel, you don't want me to stay in the hospital for any longer, right?"

Diesel looked over to Stephanie and asked, "You can't kiss Heidi either Miss. Stephanie?"

"No, I can't, darling," Stephanie said, sitting down beside Heidi and Diesel, "I can barely touch her, she used to be in another room, in a room for very ill patients, you don't want her to back there, do you?"

"No," Diesel said, shaking his head and looking over to Heidi, "I don't want Heidi to be in there again! I couldn't see her or anything! I'll wait to kiss her, promise!"

"Good," Stephanie said with a smile, leaning forward and ruffling Diesel's hair, "Now, let's color some pictures for Heidi's room, the walls are kind of bare, and she's going to be here for a super long time."

"Can she trick or treat with us?" Diesel asked, looking over to Heidi, "She can still dress up and stuff, right?"

"Well, no, she can't sweetie, she can't go outside, but, they do have trick or treating for the children in the hospital, maybe you could join her, you might not get a lot of candy but, there is a big party for all the children, I know, with all the right protective gear on, Heidi's going to go and have a good time."

"Well, if she's going, then….I'm going to go too," Diesel said with a smile, earning a smile from Stephanie, "I'll have to ask my Deda, but I'm sure he'll say it's okay for me to go to the party too."

"Okay," Stephanie said, with a smile, "You know, not kissing Heidi is almost as good as kissing her, you're not getting her ill or exposing her to things that could kill her."

"Oh, well then, I'll only kiss her when she's better!" Diesel said, turning to Heidi, "You need to get better, Heidi, so I can kiss you!"

"'Kay!" Heidi said, looking up from her picture, "I'll get better soon, I have to take a lot of medicine once a month and then I'll be good."

Stephanie smiled at the three children and got up as Maxim walked over to the three of them. She shook her head at him and said, "He's persistent, I'll give him that much, so, how is he taking the fact that Heidi's going to be out of school for a while?"

"Oh, like any other boyfriend would, tears, tantrums and pouting," Maxim chuckled, sitting down in one of the chairs that resided in the waiting room, "He'll be fine with t, with the promise to visit Heidi everyday. So…you and Carlos, eh?"

Stephanie blushed and nodded her head, "Yes, we're official together, as a family, I guess Heidi calling me her mother clued you in on it, yes?"

"Yeah, but saw it coming, boy, you two moved quickly," Maxim said with a smile, making Stephanie blush harder, "You all look good together, and you're proving to be a good mother to Heidi, should I expect a wedding invitation from the happy couple soon?"

Stephanie let out a squeak and glared at Maxim, who was laughing hard at her, "No! We're taking it slow, remember!? Besides….I don't think I'm wife material now, I got out a relationship and it left a sour taste in my mouth, what if it really was my fault that the Dick cheated on me…?"

"It wasn't your fault, it was the Dick's fault," Maxim said to Stephanie, making her look over to him, "He was the one tempted by another person, not you, did you gve him any reason to stray? No, you didn't, none of this is your fault, Stephanie, it's called self control and your ex-husband didn't have any of it. Now, don't blame yourself for all of this, okay?"

"I won't, Maxim," Stephanie said with a sigh, looking over to the man, "Geez, what are you, a shrink or something?"

"Haha, you have jokes," Maxim said, as Stephanie stood up and stretched, "How long have you and Carlos been camping at the hospital?"

"Since Heidi was admitted, the hospital was nice enough to offer us the large suite room for Heidi, since we didn't want to leave her alone, but I have to admit, I miss a soft bed," Stephanie said, rubbing her back.

"Ah, so what about your home, Stephanie, what are you going to do about it?" Maxim asked, making Stephanie and tap her chin.

"Oh, I haven't thought about it, really, maybe I'll sell it, or rent it out, Carlos and I have yet to discuss these things, we really ought to…."

"Mhmm," Maxim said, making Stephanie turn her head to the side, "I mean, whatever you do, you do it together, good bonding and communication."

"Oh, you're right," Stephanie said, turning to Maxim, "Maxim, thank you for the talk, so, in exchange for the words of wisdom, you can watch the children, while I go and get some snacks from the hospital eatery!"

"I like ice cream." Maxim said as Stephanie walked off to the elevator, "Oh, and cookies!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Oh, Brittany!" Stephanie said running up to Brittany, who sat at a table, surrounded by food, "Uh…what are you doing?"

"Eating, then I'm coming up to visit Heidi and to bring her my gift for her to get well," Brittany said, holding up the box to a brand new laptop, "Tada! It's a gamer's laptop, equipped with all the newest processors and graphic cards, I had it special made for her and it's pink!"

Stephanie shook her head and said, "She won't be able to use that, she can barely use my tablet!" watching Brittany shake the box in the air.

Brittany shook her head and said, "Well, thank goodness Auntie Brittany is so thoughtful! I'll hold on to this bad boy until she can get to the task manager! I'll play all the games on it and level them all up!"

Stephanie sighed and ace palmed herself, "You are a piece of work Brittany…"as Brittany laughed herself silly

"Oh, am I?" Brittany said, with a smile, getting up and walking over to Stephanie, "Oi! Lester hasn't shown his face has he? He doesn't know I'm here, he thinks I'm downstairs in his basement playing his games…."

"Brittany!" Stephanie gasped as she followed Brittany back to her table, "That's dangerous, you know the POS are still out for your blood!"

"It's been almost a month," Brittany said with a giggle, waving her hand and placing her food in a plastic bag, "They're not out to get me anymore! Not since their target fell off the face of the earth, I don't see why I have to be locked up, when my friend's child is sick in the hospital! Oh, don't think I don't know about you accepting your new role, tee-hee, my friend, a new mother!"

"Mhmm," Stephanie said walking over to the the freezer and pulling several small cups of ice cream and then heading to the little bakery, "I like the role, Brittany, it fits me to a tee, and Maxim and I had a chat about my worries….I'll get over them."

"Oh! Get the Hello Kitty cupcake, I know Heidi would love that!" Brittany said pointing to the try of pink frosted cakes, "Well good, I know you will get over your worries, you're a strong independent woman! You got this!"

Stephanie yelped as Brittany ran by her and grabbed the last chocolate éclair from the display case, "I now, I would never get over my worries if I had missed this little bad boy, oh…where have you been yummy éclair?"

Stephanie shook her head again and said, "You eat like a cow, where does it all go?"

"I don't know, but it's not on me!" Brittany said, nuzzling the pastry, "Now, let's go get more food and go pump sugar inside the children's stomachs!"

The two women bundled up their foods and made their way to the elevators. They were chatting about something off the wall when two pairs of strong arms grabbed both women, hands clamping around their mouths so their screams were muffled.

Stephanie let out a gasp as they were tossed into a large storage room. There were two burly men holding them captive, each with a snake tattooed on their arms. It didn't take long for Stephanie to put two and two together to see that they were the POS terrorist group. Brittany was stumbling beside Stephanie, holding up the bags of food in one hand and the laptop box in the other hand. She rounded on the two men and exclaimed, "Hey, what's the big idea, you were going to make me lose my éclair!"

"Which one is the dumb, lawyer bitch?" One of the men asked the other, looking at both Stephanie and Brittany, "The leader wants only the lawyer, we'll get rid of the extra and then make the lawyer singe about the where abouts of the three merchandise."

"We're not lawyers," Stephanie said, turning to Brittany who was glaring at the men, "Right, Brittany? You're a underwear model, she gets pictures of men from all over the world, so she's not-"

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A BITCH!" Brittany snarled, placing the laptop box on the ground and pointing to the men, "I'll sue you for slander! I'll take all of your fucking money, you pieces of shit!"

"Oh boy…." Stephanie groaned as the men rounded on Brittany, "Brittany, you're so dumb…."

"How am I dumb?!" Brittany asked, rounding on Stephanie, her glare now on her, "I'll karate chop you and sue you too! I'll take you for-EEP!"

Stephanie let out a cry as Brittany was grabbed by her waist by a strong arm. Stephanie cried ou as she was pushed away and into a corner of the storage room. The man holding Brittany said, "Alright, let's kill the spare and get this one to the car."

"No-no-no-no-no-no!" Brittany cried out struggling in the man's grip, "I'm not going with you! I'm not going to tell you anything! Let me go! I'm too pretty to be tortured by you brutes!"

"Oh goodness," Stephanie sighed, looking over to the men, "You know…tongue torture is pretty effective, pull out her tongue first."

"Stephanie! You're so cruel! How could give them advice!" Brittany squealed, waving her bag full of food around, "You're such a mean friend!"

"Snap her neck and let's hurry up, I didn't bring duck tape and this one is fucking annoying," The man holding a struggling Brittany growled, "Shut up, bitch!"

"Oh no," Stephanie said, as the man grabbed her by the shoulders and moved to grab her neck, "No! Stop, HELP! SOMEONE PLESE HELP US!"

Stephanie leaned forward and stepped on the man's foot, causing him to jerk back into the other man, who clipped Brittany in the arm, making her drop her bag of food. Stephanie heard Brittany scream in horror and both Stephanie and the man turned to see the bag full of food all over the floor, the treasured éclair facing icing side down. Stephanie turned to look up at Brittany and then she muttered, "Oh boy, you guys are in for it now…"

Brittany's milk chocolate colored face was flushed with rage, and her hands were balled up into fists. She had a fire in her eyes and her body was trembling. Brittany looked at the men holding both her and Stephanie and said, "You all made me drop my éclair….an unforgivable act! I shall destroy you all!"

Stephanie yelped as Brittany stomped down on her captive's foot, leaned head forward and head butted him in the face, causing him to let go of her. Brittany turned around and screamed, "TURBO GUCCI IN THE BALLS!" kicking her captive in the groin, causing him to fall on the ground, screaming.

Stephanie watched as Brittany grabbed the laptop box, turned to her captive and screamed, "TOSHIBA LAPTOP BOX ATTACK!" swinging her arm back and hitting Stephanie's captor in the face with the laptop box. Stephanie squirmed out the man's grip as he went crashing down, she had to get out the way of Brittany, who jumped on the man's back and began to hit over the head with the laptop box.

"No one makes me drop my food! I spent 3 bucks on that pastry! I could have bought so many things at the dollar store!" Brittany growled, hitting the man over and over again, "Stephanie! Get the rope, we're tying them up!"

"Yes ma'am!" Stephanie said, grabbing the rope hanging from the wall and helping Brittany tie up their captors, "I always used to hate it when you got angry over dropping your food, now I like that trait of yours! We make a good-BRITTANY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Brittany waved Stephanie off as she ate the éclair that fell on the floor, "It's still good, five minute rule, remember? And most of the icing is still on the floor! Besides, this is a hospital, they have some of the cleanest floors for their patients right?"

"Uh…." Stephanie said, pulling out her phone to call Carlos, "I think you've been misled Brittany."

"Babe," Carlos said to Stephanie in her phone, "What's up?"

"Brittany and I almost got kidnapped in the hospital by the POS…but they're down and out right now, we kicked their butts…come meet us near the eatery?"

"Be there soon…." Carlos said, "Glad you're safe and sound…."

Stephanie hung the phone up and turned to Brittany, who finished her pastry and was rooting through the fallen food, "So, why did you name your attacks?"

"Oh, well, I've gotten into Japanese animation, since I don't work or anything, and so, it seems better to call out my attacks, you know…cause that's what they do in the shows!" Brittany said with a smile, "Besides, it's so kawaii!"

"You don't even know what that means!" Stephanie sighed as Brittany gave her a peace sign, "Why are you doing that?!"

"Cause, I'm a magical girl who fights crime and that's what they do!" Brittany said with a smile, making Stephanie roll her eyes.

"Oh bother…."

TBC…

* * *

Whoo, that Brittany is a trips! now, that chapter is done, please review, they make me write faster!


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37, enjoy! I apologize, but posting chapters has become a hardship, since I've many obligations in my life. Who knew going on a year long trip would take up all my time in planning it?! Anyways, I'm shooting for everyday, but it might be every other day, real life sucks...

Warning: None

Disclaimer in Chapter 1

Please review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 37

* * *

"She's been drinking Mountain Dew and Redbull for the last six days, apparently, she's making up for losing her nerd roots," Lester said to Stephanie and Carlos a smile on his face, "Don't worry, I took all the caffeinated drinks away from her, she'll be back to normal soon, the amount of sugar and caffeine we'll looking at a crash that'll last for 12 hours."

Stephanie shook his head and said, "It must be horrible to not being able to do what you like the most."

"Babe, that attack on youand Brittany, reminded me that I've yet to get you a tracker and a panic button, you'll get one by the end of the day."

"My Hero," Stephanie said with a smile, turning to hear a loud thud and finding Brittany sleeping on the floor of the waiting room, snoring loudly. The children were poking at her and grabbing the markers to draw on her face, "We should stop them…"

"No way, she's been terrorizing me for the last two weeks, do you know what she calls me, *Senpai, and I don't even know what that means, this is my revenge," Lester said with a dark smile, "Now, pardon me, I'm going to hang out with the children and tell them what to draw on Brittany's face."

"He's as bad as the children," Stephanie said with a smile, turning to Carlos, "I guess we'll be having a grown up talk about my safety."

"We are," Carlos said, motioning for Stephanie to sit on the couch beside him, "Babe, you almost died back there."

"I know, but, thank goodness Brittany was on an energy drink binge, right?" Stephanie asked with a smile, shrugging her shoulders, "Heaven knows what would have happened if she hadn't been hyper."

"Stephanie this is serious, there's a secret terrorist cell out to get Brittany and your sister and if you get in the way of their plans, they'll kill you," Carlos said with a frown, "I'm beefing up security around the hospital, and around you and Brittany, I can't help your sister, she's in the hands of witness protection, but, I can watch over you and your friend."

Stephanie sighed and said, "You're right, Carlos, this is serious, but, I don't want to think about what happened down in the hospital's basement, Brittany and I almost lost our lives down there, I almost died…they were going to snap my neck…."

Stephanie wrapped her hands around her neck and then leaned into Carlos, "I guess the shock is now just sinking in…I almost died down there!"

"Babe," Carlos said, hugging Stephanie to him, "It's alright now, don't let this incident turn you into a hermit. Its okay to be scared, but don't let it overcome you, a solider never gives in to fear."

"I see where Heidi gets it from," Stephanie said, looking up at Carlos, a smile on her face, "She gets the same facial expression when she says the same things."

Carlos nodded his head and said, "I try to make sure that my military roots are somewhere in my parental duties, I can hardly get her to eat carrots but she can make a bed that would make any sergeant proud."

Stephanie smiled and then looked down at her hand, which was entwined with Carlos's hand, "Carlos, I need to talk to you about us."

"What about us?" Carlos asked, looking down at Stephanie who bit her lip and looked up at the man.

"Our living arrangements," Stephanie said firmly, "I think it should be official."

"Official, official like how?" Carlos asked, giving Stephanie a look.

"Like, I put my townhouse up for sale, and I move into the master bedroom of the house," Stephanie said, blushing, "I mean-I'll sell my townhome, and some of my furniture and move into your house, maybe not in your room, but in the house, across the hall from you….maybe…"

"Babe," Carlos said, looking down at Stephanie a twinkle in his eye, "I think I like the idea of you sleeping in my bed way more than I like the idea of you sleeping across the hall from me."

"Oh good, because, while you were away in California, Heidi and I slept in your bed and goodness, that bed is like a soft cloud that you can melt into," Stephanie said with a coo, a content smile on her face, "And I bet it would feel much better with you in it-I mean-uh…oh boy…."

"Babe," Carlos said, leaning down and kissing Stephanie on the lips, "I know it's going to feel better with me in it, a night with me and you'll get a good night's sleep."

Stephanie leered at Carlos and said, "Oh, and why do you say that, Carlos?"

"Because….I'll tire you out in the bed," Carlos said, making Stephanie blush, "Babe….we're taking it slow, remember?"

Stephanie nodded her head, "I know, but…it's so dang hard! We've been official for nearly a month, and I've never wanted to do naughty so badly!"

"All good things come to those who wait," Carlos said, standing up and walking away from Stephanie, "Like good wine, the more age, the better the taste."

"Easy for you to say Mister Colonel in the army!" Stephanie sighed as Carlos walked off, "You may have patience, but I don't!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Ugh…." Brittany moaned, sitting up and looking around, "What happened?"

Lula and Stephanie turned to see Brittany sitting up in the sleeper chair that sat in Heidi's hospital room. Stephanie and Lula giggled at the sight of the marker drawings on Brittany's face. They were now in Heidi's room, the child sleeping in her bed. Everyone but Lula, Stephanie and Brittany had gone out to do things. Carlos went to get security for Stephanie and Brittany and everyone else but Lester went home. Lester went to go get dinner for them all.

"What's so funny?" Brittany asked sleepily, laying back down in the sleeper chair, "I wanna know the joke too…."

"Uh…it's nothing, go back to sleep," Lula said, earning a head nod from Brittany, who curled up and went back to sleep, "She's a mess."

"I know, Lula," Stephanie said with a smile, sitting down on the couch that doubled as a bed, "I can't wait for Heidi to get out of the hospital, no more hard pull out couches to sleep on and I'll be in Carlos's nice soft bed."

Lula leered at Stephanie and said, "Oh, you won't be doing any sleeping, when you get in that bed with that man."

Stephanie blushed and said, "We're taking it slow, Lula, no….naughty stuff."

"Oh yeah…nice and slow, horizontally and with you on your back and him in between your thighs!" Lula giggled, making Stephanie blush hard and glare at the woman, "What?!"

"You're a pervert, what am I doing, hanging out with two perverts?!" Stephanie hissed before she pulled out her laptop and opened up her shop's webpage, "Hmm, I have to talk to Carlos about the possibility of expanding my shop, it's such a big hit here, maybe I should expand."

"Hmm, that sounds like a good idea, you've staked your claim on the internet, but where else could you set up shop?" Lula asked, looking at the numbers on the screen, "Maybe the city, that's always a good place to set up shop."

"Oh, you're right, maybe New York City," Stephanie said, looking at the figures from the store, "Or maybe Boston…."

"Oh, New York City, now that's the place to set up shop!" Lula said, with a smile, "Skyscrapers and city life….that's where it's happening!"

"This sounds like a big thing, Lula," Stephanie said, closing her laptop, and giving the woman a look, "I'll wait for Carlos to talk about me expanding, since we should be thinking about our future together, right?"

"Right," Lula said just as Lester walked into the hospital room with three pizza boxes, "Oh Dinner, let's wake up Heidi and Brittany and eat."

Stephanie shook Heidi awake while Lester toed Brittany's leg and told her that the food was here. Brittany stumbled into Heidi's en suite bathroom to wash up and as everyone was settling down to eat, she let out a scream of horror and came running back into the hospital room exclaiming, "Why are there drawings on my face?!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"So, you want to expand, that's a wonderful idea," Carlos said, settling down on the pull out couch with Stephanie, "I suggest you wait a year though, just to watch the trends and patterns."

"Oh yeah," Stephanie said climbing under the covers and curling up beside Carlos, "But, we're all out to buy a cute pair of panties, I'm wondering, though, where I should set up shop though. Lula wants me to go to a city…"

"That sounds like a plan," Carlos said, turning off the side lamp and curling his arm around Stephanie, "New York City is a nice place to set up shop."

"But, that start up cost would be huge," Stephanie said with a huff, looking over to Carlos, "Oh, why does city living have to cost so much?!"

"You're right about the cost of renting and the like in the city," Carlos said letting Stephanie lay on his chest, "It is expensive, you could save up, or find an investor to invest in your second shop."

"Oh, I could ask Brittany, she loves doing that kind of stuff, she has so much money too, she needs to do something with-" Stephanie started but Carlos silenced her with a kiss.

"No, I'll invest in you, Babe," Carlos said with a smile, earning a smile from Stephanie, "Though we are going to wait a year, you can never be too safe and plus, you have to get the children's line up and running."

"You're right," Stephanie said turning to Heidi's sleeping form , "One of my top models is too sick right now."

"So, it's settled, you're expanding, and I'm tired," Carlos said, settling back down in the bed, with Stephanie on his chest, "I have an early morning and you have things to do in the shop, I hate leaving Heidi in the hospital, but Cal is going to be with her, so I'm not too worried."

"I'll be done with my stuff buy 1PM, she won't be alone too long," Stephanie said with a yawn, closing her eyes, "And you'll be done by 5PM, pick up dinner tomorrow?"

"What's on the menu Babe?" Carlos asked, as Stephanie fell asleep.

"Hibachi, but you better get something yummy." Stephanie said, feeling Carlos's chest rumble with soft laughter, "Mmm, stop moving pillow, I'm trying to sleep."

"Babe…."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"That's the last order form filled," Stephanie said, turning to Lula, "Now, let's take these bad boys to the post office and get them shipped off."

"And then let's go to Pino's and get some pizza and su-" Lula started but yelped as the door to the shop clanged opened and Helen Plum came stomping in, "Uh oh…"

"Stephanie Michelle Plum, when were you going to tell your mother that you were seeing a man?!" Helen snarled at Stephanie marching over to her.

Stephanie took a step back and said, "Mother, I don't have to tell you everything, hey! Ouch! Don't pull so hard!"

Stephanie let out a whine as her mother pulled her ear roughly. Stephanie waved her arm frantically as she was dragged over to the front door. Helen turned to Stephanie and said, "You, young lady are coming home with me right now and we're going to talk about this nonsense!"

"I have to do stuff!" Stephanie said, trying to free her ear, "Mother! I have packages that need shipping, let go!"

Lula ran over to the shop's door as Helen berated Stephanie over to her car. She shook her head as Helen motioned for Stephanie to get in the car. Lula turned to Lester who was sitting in a black SUV and nodded her head, motioning for the man to follow Stephanie and her mother. She'll wait in the shop for Tank to get her.

"I made lunch, so call that man of yours right over so I can get rid of him for you!" Helen said as Stephanie rolled her eyes and started the car, "Now move it Missy!"

"It must be a bitch to be the daughter of Helen Plum," Lula sighed, closing up the shop and placing the packages by the door, "She's so demanding…"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Carlos looked up from his paper hearing his phone go off. It was Stephanie calling her, due to the fact that he gave her a personal ringtone. He was swamped in the middle of looking at contracts that were up for renewal. He had skipped lunch and was pretty much in need of a break. A Stephanie break was one of the best breaks too.

Carlos picked the phone up, and answered it with a quick, "Yo.."

"Hey Carlos, uh…have you eaten lunch yet?" Stephanie asked, making Carlos smile, he was pretty hungry.

"No, are you inviting me out to lunch, Babe?" Carlos asked chuckling.

"Yeah, at my parent's house, there's Pineapple Upside Down cake and my Grandma Mazur," Stephanie said with a smile, "My mother wants to meet you, Lester's here too, don't worry."

"She wants you to marry a man and kidnap you as well," Carlos said shaking his head and running a hand through his hair, "Babe…."

"Look, one lunch and that's it, okay?" Stephanie said, earning a sigh from Carlos.

"Babe…I'll be there soon," Carlos said hanging his phone up and sighing, "Alright, let me do this, one time, get Stephanie and get her out of there…"

If it were up to Carlos, he would swoop in, rescue Stephanie from her mother's clutches and tell that awful woman to never contact Stephanie ever again. That will have to wait until after lunch, then he'll tell Stephanie's crazy mother where she can put that meal at. He was going to have words for that woman, and they weren't going to be nice, especially since this woman had the gull to treat Stephanie like a child most of the time she came around. Oh no, Carlos was going to put that woman in her place today.

Carlos got up and said, "The things I do for love…."

TBC…

* * *

Oh boy, the lunch from hell is coming up...please leave a review, I write faster!

*Senpai is Japanese title given to friends or colleagues who are older than you. It's a title of respect. Yeah, you can really tell i'm excited about this trip!


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38, enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? owo?

* * *

_A Mommy For Papi And Me_

_Chapter 38_

* * *

"Why did Lula have to go and blab to you?" Stephanie asked Brittany who was sitting beside Stephanie at her parent's dining room table, "And how did you get here? I thought you were on lockdown?"

"I still am on lock down, but, I snuck out again," Brittany said with a smile, "Don't underestimate me, Stephanie, I can get out of a jam real quick. Besides, I did some digging around for the POS and the US government, and I found some important things…I wanted to tell you guys before I do a 'Deep Throat' and give this information away to the news outlet."

"What kind of information?" Stephanie asked, but Brittany shushed her as Helen walked into the dining room with a pot roast, "Uh…this is lunch?"

"I know, right?" Grandma Mazur said, looking over to Helen, "Usually it's a sandwich, what's going on, Helen?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to brush up on my cooking skills." Helen said looking around the table, "Stephanie, I wished you had told me that you were bringing guests, I set the table for six, not 8!"

"Six?" Stephanie asked looking over to Helen, "Why six? It's just you, me, Daddy, Grandma Mazur and Carlos…whose the extra person eating with us?"

"Well, it's your mother, who has she been trying to peddle on you for the last month?" Brittany asked, reaching out for the mashed potatoes, only to get her hand slapped by Helen, "How rude…."

"Yeah, well, I have some choice words for you, woman, when we get back to my house," Lester said, giving Brittany a look that could freeze fire, "Sneaking out, like a teenager!"

Stephanie turned to Brittany and then to Helen, shaking her head, "Oh no! Not him!"

Stephanie let out a curse as she heard the front door open, "Cupcake, I see your car out in the driveway where are you?"

"Babe, you let him call you cupcake?" Stephanie perked up and scrambled out of her seat and over to the foyer to find Joe and Carlos in a stand off, giving one another looks.

"Oh," Brittany said, worming her head in the space between Stephanie's arm, since her hand was perched on her hip, "This is perfect, I wasn't expecting a dinner and a show!"

"You are such a child," Stephanie said, squeezing her arm around Brittany's neck, "I ought to choke you out!"

"You're so mean!" Brittany gasped struggling in Stephanie's grip.

"What is going on?" Frank asked, walking into the house and looking at the people in the foyer, "I leave for an hour and come back to this? This is worse than that time I found Edna and that older man on the living room couch doing god knows what…"

"I apologized about that!" Grandma Mazur said, peeking her head out the archway, "For heaven's sake, sex is a normal human function!"

"Oh god….!" Brittany and Stephanie moaned, sliding back into the dining room, "Grandma Mazur!"

"Choking! I'm dying!" Brittany wheezed, her face pale from the lack of air, "Stephanie!"

"Oh hush," Stephanie said, as she let go of Brittany's neck, earning a kick from Brittany, "Ouch! That hurt you hag! Anyways, Why did you invite Morelli over, Mother?! I have a boyfriend, see?!"

Stephanie walked over to Carlos and wrapped her arms around his waist, "This is mine and he's here to stay."

Helen puffed up like a fish and opened her mouth to say something but Grandma Mazur walked in between the group and said, "Let's go eat lunch now, you all, or else that roast will dry out…."

"Oh we wouldn't want that," Brittany said with a giggle, walking back into the dining room, "I'll eat your share for you!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"So, Mr. Manoso, what is your job?" Helen asked, once everyone had settled down at the table and were halfway through their meal "Nothing…crude, I supposed?"

"I co-own a security firm that are in three cities; Miami, Trenton and Boston, I'm thinking about expanding to New York City in a year's time," Carlos said, making Stephanie turn and give him a wide eyed look, "Babe…."

"You're such a sneak!" Stephanie said with a smile, "No wonder why you want to invest in me and make me wait for a year! When were you going to tell me about you expanding Rangeman?"

"Next week, but now is good," Carlos said turning his head at the grunt Frank made.

"Sounds like this man has a good head on his shoulders, a real keeper," Frank said, giving Carlos a look, "And military to boot, Army I take it?"

"Yes sir, I'm still in the Army too, just not doing any missions, I have a child to watch over now," Carlos said to Frank earning a head nod.

"I like this one, Pumpkin," Frank said with a smile, looking over to Stephanie and Carlos, "Military man."

"And his daughter is so darling!" Stephanie said, earning a grunt of agreement from Brittany, "She's the sweetest thing ever, though she's sick and in the hospital now."

"Well, Joe is a respectable cop, he lives in the 'Burg and can provide for you, Stephanie," Helen said, earning a nod from Joe, "I don't see why you have to surround yourself with crazies and thugs."

"The only crazy person around here is Brittany, but she's my crazy person and my close friend" Stephanie said glaring at Helen, "Why are you so hell bent on me marrying Joe?"

"Because, he's acceptable in our neighborhood, he has a safe job and-" Helen started but Brittany cut her off saying, "And he's not a minority…..that's what she wants to say."

Stephanie gave Brittany a glare and turned to her mother but found that what Brittany had injected into the conversation was dancing in Helen's eyes. She hadn't pinned her mother as a racist person, but here she was trying to get her child away from a good man, a supportive network because they weren't 'Burg Material, they weren't white enough for her.

Helen got up from the table and said, in a tight voice, "I'll go get dessert….."

Grandma Mazur turned to Brittany and asked, "How'd you know that tidbit? She wasn't going to say that out loud!"

"I'm a lawyer, I pick up on the slightest hesitant answer and I can read in between the lines," Brittany said just as Helen came in with a tray of sliced pineapple upside down cake, "Oh…this looks yummy!"

Stephanie sighed and looked down at her slice of cake, she was going to eat this slice of cake and then head off to the hospital with Brittany and Lester. She didn't want to deal with her mother anymore. She was a pain in Stephanie's ass.

Stephanie looked down at her cake and frowned, seeing Brittany switch the two slices. She turned to Brittany who smiled and said, "Your slice was bigger than mine and it had more glaze, you don't need those extra calories, but I do!"

Stephanie made to swipe her cake back but Brittany grabbed the slice and stuffed it in her mouth quickly. Stephanie shook her head and muttered, "Jerk…" turning her head to Helen, who let out a sharp sound, giving both Brittany and Stephanie a wide eyed look, "What?!"

Helen swallowed what was in her mouth and said, "Nothing…it's just your friend has awful manners!"

"Mmmm, tasty," Brittany said, as she finished her cake, "Can I get another slice?"

"You know, Stephanie, Joe does more than just police work, he's part of the FBI too, as a specialist, he was helping the FBI in California too, but he moved back here because the FBI wanted him here," Helen said, sitting up, "A much better job than what this thug of yours does."

"Carlos is not a thug and his line of work is perfect!" Stephanie said, making everyone but Brittany turn to look at her, "I've had it up to here, Mother! Stop trying to push Joe on me! I don't want to date him and I sure as hell don't want to marry him!"

"….California….?" Brittany muttered, shocked, looking at Joe, "FBI….?"

"And I'm tired of you berating my career, which is off to an excellent start, no Mother, I will not stop selling bras and panties, women love to buy my panties! And no, it's not a sinful job, it's a damn good job and if you don't like it, well, tough cookies! It's my life and I'm going to live it the way I want to!"

"Man…." Brittany said, waving her hand in her face, "I feel funny, too much food I think…."

"Shut up woman!" Helen snapped at Brittany, who was wiggling her fingers, "What is she? Dumb?!"

"Hey, don't you go after my woman," Lester snapped at Helen who gasped and leaned back in her seat, "She's smart and you'll never be half the woman she is!"

"Frank, do you hear what this thug just said to me?!" Helen shrieked, rounding on Stephanie, "And you deal with these hoodlums and thugs!"

"They are not thugs!" Stephanie shouted, standing up and slamming her hands on the table, "I am tired of your shit, Mother, I'm done with it, disown me, if you want, but, you say another word about my friends and my lover, I'll-"

"I...could use a nap," Brittany slurred, getting up from the table, swaying for a moment and then crumbling to the floor in a heap, not moving.

"Holy shit!" Grandma Mazur said, as everyone but Helen and Joe scrambled over to the woman, "A food coma?!"

"I don't know…" Lester said, turning Brittany's limp head and checking to see if she was still breathing, "She's not breathing…call an ambulance!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Oh my god, is she going to die?" Lula asked Stephanie over the phone, earning a sound from the woman, "What happened?!"

"I don't know, we were at my parent's place, eating cake and then the next thing we all know she's on the ground, not breathing and her heart rate dropping," Stephanie said, pacing the length of the emergency room waiting room, "She was fine moments before the collapse, what in the hell happened to her?"

"Maybe it's a hidden disease or something," Lula suggested, making Stephanie grunt and shake her head.

"No, It couldn't be, Brittany would have whined and complained about it, that's her, it's so weird, but I'll tell what the doctor's going to tell me, he's coming over," Stephanie said hanging the phone up, just as the ER doctor came over to her, "How is Brittany? Is she alright?"

It was only Stephanie at the hospital with Brittany, since Lester had gone out to make some calls to Brittany's family and Carlos went to check on Heidi at the children's hospital. Stephanie wished they would hurry back, she didn't like the strange feeling of danger she got when they weren't around.

"Your friend has been drugged, Miss. Plum," The ER doctor told Stephanie, "The Toxicology report came back, we almost missed the chemical compound, it was so degraded in her system. I've never seen anything like it, it's something brand new, it's a strong relaxer that's so potent that Miss. Small's lungs and heart had stopped for a full 30 seconds. Her brain was next on the list, but thanks to steroids, she'll make a fast recovery. She's awake now, and wants to see you."

"Well take me to her, please!" Stephanie said as the ER doctor motioned for Stephanie to follow him.

Brittany was tucked away in a corner room of the ER, lying propped up on a hospital bed. She had an oxygen mask on and an IV in her hand. She was awake, but it seemed that she wasn't there 100 percent. She gave Stephanie a smile and said, pulling off the mask, "I'm not dead yet!"

"Oh be quiet you," Stephanie said, hugging her friend and kissing her cheek, "How are you feeling?"

"Rough, like I've been ran over by a roller," Brittany said, turning her head to Stephanie, "Where are Carlos and Lester?"

"Carlos went to check on Heidi and Lester calling your parents," Stephanie said, earning a wince from Brittany.

"Bleh, good luck Santos….." Brittany chuckled, closing her eyes and sighing, "I almost died…again in less than 24 hours…but I put two and two together, and did a little digging. It amazed me that the POS knew where I was, yesterday, in the hospital…and then, it hit me…."

Stephanie let Brittany grab her hand and say to her, in a low voice, "Stephanie, there's a snake in the FBI office, and they're closer than you think…in fact, I think know who the snake is…"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Are you trying to kill my child?!" Helen snapped to the person in front of her, "If she had eaten that slice of cake, she would be the one in the hospital on a ventilator! Are you crazy?!"

"I didn't know it would be that potent, it's a brand new drug, don't worry, the people assured me that once the compound had been diluted, it won't shut down the victim's body," The person in front of Helen assured her , "You want your child back from that man's clutches, right?"

Helen nodded her head and said, "Yes, I'll do anything to knock some sense into my child and to get some news about my other daughter."

"Then…trust me, Mrs. Plum, I've got this, plus, your daughter's little friend is on my shit list, it'll be like hitting two birds with one stone, you get your child back and I get my prey…it'll be a win-win for us all."

Helen gave the person a look and said, "Well, what do you supposed we do next?"

"You do nothing my dear, but I do know who would be easy pickings for the men below me, you daughter's boyfriend has an ill child, in a place that has little to none security…I can bet money that the both of them would move heaven and earth to get her back…she'll make all the dominoes fall down."

TBC….

* * *

Oh dear, things are about to go down, and we all know that when you mess with Carlos's offspring, you're good as dead...Please leave a review, they make me write faster...


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39, enjoy, a nice long chapter for you all!

Warning: Sugary sweetness near the end...

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? owo

* * *

_A Mommy For Papi And Me_

_Chapter 39_

* * *

"Have you ever thought about a job in the FBI?" Jeanne asked Brittany who smiled and leaned back in her pillows, "Damn it, woman, you're amazing!"

"If I went to the FBI, I wouldn't make the same amount of money as I do as a lawyer!" Brittany said with a smile, grabbing the plate of food Lester held out for her, "Oh…food."

Carlos looked over to the papers that Brittany gave to Jeanne and Beverly. It was file reports and logs of phone numbers and emails sent to the two women from Brittany. Carlos looked over to Brittany and asked, "What is this, Brittany?"

"All the phone calls and emails and all the other stuff I've sent to the women," Brittany said putting the plate on the rolling table, "As a lawyer, I tend to keep tabs on the things I do, and so…I've kept track of my conversations between Jeanne, Beverly and I. After the first attempt on my life, the bombing of my office, I began to look at everything and then after Stephanie and I were accosted in the hospital, I put two and two together, there's a snake in the FBI, and the snake is extremely close. It kind of came to ahead when Stephanie's mother told us that someone had been in California and had worked for the FBI there and transferred to Trenton here and was still a part of the FBI."

"Fuck, it's Morelli," Carlos said softly looking over to Brittany who nodded his head, "Brittany, do you think he was the one to drug you?"

"Oh, I don't think I was his target, I think the drugs that were on the cake I ate, and it wasn't my slice to begin with, it was Stephanie's."

"Oh, remember, Brittany, what Grandma Mazur said to us a few weeks back, Helen and Joe had planned on kidnapping Stephanie…."

"THEY DID WHAT?!" Carlos boomed, making everyone jump, "And she's with minimal security right now!"

Carlos whipped his phone out and barked orders into the speaker. As he barked orders into the phone, Jeanne turned to Brittany and said, "I'm sorry sweetie, but, until this is settled you're going into witness protection, and only Beverly and I are going to know where you are…."

"Put her in Rangeman with 24 hour security on her," Carlos said turning to Brittany and Lester, "You're going to be in there and no….you're not leaving, you'll stay there you won't leave the building and if you try to, I'll put you in holding cell."

Brittany opened her mouth to argue but Lester shook his head and said, "I'm with Carlos on this one, you're going to stay in Rangeman and you're not leaving it, damn it, woman, you almost died three times in less than a month, you need to be protected and you're giving me a fucking hard time protecting you!"

Brittany deflated back in the soft pillows and sighed, "Alright, Lester, Carlos, we'll do this your way. I'll be a good girl and stay in Rangeman, but you gotta get Stephanie too, since she's in danger as well!"

"Oh she will, when Heidi is out the hospital, she's safe there with Rangeman security surrounding her," Carlos said softly, "Once Heidi is out the hospital, she'll be going with Stephanie into Rangeman."

Brittany let out a sound and said, "No fair! I'll be all alone!" crossing her arms and pouting, "I'll be surrounded by hot muscled men….oh….well, that sounds like a good thing!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Mommy!" Heidi said as Stephanie walked into her hospital room with a small chocolate cake, "Oh! Chocolate cake! Papi says that I can't eat that much sugar…"

"Well it's our little secret," Stephanie said, with a wink, placing the cake on the small table in the hospital room, "How are you feeling, princess?"

"Good, my fever is only 100 degrees!" Heidi said with a smile, getting up and going over to Stephanie and hugging her tightly, I missed you, Mommy!"

"I missed you too," Stephanie said, with a smile, looking down at Heidi, "Well, look at this, you're off your IV!"

"Mhmm, but I still have the needle and cap in me, cause they give me the liquid stuff at night," Heidi said with a smile, letting go of Stephanie and sitting down at the table in the hospital, "Diesel and Deda are supposed to be here too! They can eat cake with us!"

"Oh yes they can," Stephanie said sitting down beside Heidi and pulling out the cake from the box it resided in, "Come on, sweetie, I'll tell you how Miss. Brittany is doing."

"Oh, Papi told me that she had gotten very sick the other day, is her boo-boo all better now?" Heidi asked grabbing Harriet the Ferret and holding her tightly.

"Oh yes, she's fine now, Uncle Lester called and told us that she's back to eating for all of us and back to pouting and everything," Stephanie said with a smile, earning a giggle from Heidi, "I know, she's fine, Heidi, she's not in danger anymore."

"Good," Heidi said, sitting up, "I really like Miss. Brittany, I like all your friends, Mommy…I wish I can leave the hospital right now, being sick is no fun…"

"I know," Stephanie said, lifting Heidi in her arms and hugging her, "Whenever I get colds, I feel like the sickest person in the world, but you're very ill, it must feel worst for you."

"Yeah…." Heidi said, cuddling up in Stephanie's arms, "Though it's not that bad, Mommy, I just miss my friends and going to school…Mr. Charles came to see me yesterday, and he gave me lots of homework, Diesel and I are going to work on it together."

"It's nice to have such a wonderful boyfriend," Stephanie said with a smile, tickling Heidi's side, "Heidi, has Diesel given you the reason why he's your boyfriend?"

Heidi nodded her head and said, "He told me that it's because it feels right, he didn't know why, but he likes it when I'm around him."

Stephanie smiled and shook her head, they were a bit young to be experiencing true love, but It was such an adorable site to see. Oh yes, Carlos was going to have Diesel as a son in law sometime in the future. If Diesel had his way, they would get married now.

"You two are just too cute," Stephanie said to Heidi, who smiled and curled up in Stephanie's arms.

"Heidi! I'm here!" Diesel said, rushing into the hospital room, his backpack hanging off one arm, "Can I kiss you now?"

"Not until her fever gets under 99," Stephanie said as Diesel ran up to Heidi, and hugged her through Stephanie's arm, "So are you two going to get working on that homework? I'll go cut up this cake."

"I bought the chocolate milk," Maxim said holding up a bag, "I also bought lunch too, nothing much, just Chinese, Thaddeus and I haven't had lunch yet, and I bet you and Heidi hadn't had some yet either."

"Thank you, Maxim, I was going to order out for us, but never mind," Stephanie said, getting up and helping Maxim out with the food, "So how was your day?"

"I got the boot taken off me, and I am officially healed, but I still have to do that pesky physical therapy," Maxim said with a chuckle, grabbing plastic cups and pouring chocolate milk for the children, "How is Carlos, the children miss him at school."

"Oh, hopefully before winter break," Stephanie said picking up the childrens' plates, "You'll see him at the children's end of year party, Heidi should be discharged December the 11th, maybe earlier, if she can lower that temperature of hers."

"Children, I hope you're ready to eat!" Maxim asked, placing the cups on the hospital table, "Goodness, look at that, you guys finished your homework!"

"It was easy….Deda," Heidi said, looking up at Maxim, "And plus, we don't have to turn it in!"

"Oh, well it's easier then, because you don't have to turn it in." Stephanie said, placing the plates on the table, "Now, time to eat, you two."

As the children ate, Diesel told Heidi about what they were doing in class. Maxim chuckled as Diesel got really excited about telling Heidi about the Halloween party they were going to have in class.

"We can come dressed in costumes and Mr. Charles is making cookies and Sakura's father is bringing rice cakes and Deda is bringing in pizza and Louis's mother is bring milkshakes!" Diesel said, leaning in close to Heidi.

"That sounds cool!" Heidi said, clapping her hands, and then frowning, "Wish I could be there too, Papi would have brought in something healthy, like apples…or something…"

"Hey, sweetie," Stephanie said leaning down and hugging Heidi's shoulders, "The hospital is having a big party and they're doing trick or treating, and you're dressing up as well, plus, Diesel will be with you."

Heidi sighed and said, "I wish I wasn't sick…it's not fair…" leaning into Stephanie and yawning, "I'm going to miss all the fun things!"

Maxim watched Heidi yawn again and then turned to Diesel, who was leaning against Stephanie as well, yawning, "I think we should worry about nap time, for now, it is time for it, after all."

"I can't go to sleep without a story," Heidi said, earning a nod from Diesel, "Please read to us, Mommy…"

"Yeah, Miss. Stephanie," Diesel said, wrapping his arm around Stephanie's arm, "Please?"

"Well…." Stephanie said, looking around. Carlos took the books Heidi had back home and would bring some back this afternoon, "We don't have any books…"

"You have a brain, you can make one up," Maxim said, cleaning up their lunch mess, "Right Stephanie?"

"Oh, I could, hmm, I have one, and It's called; The Princess Gets A New Mommy…."

"Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a king. The king was a kind, powerful and dashing man who only had eyes for his darling young daughter, whom he had raised from birth, by himself, after the death of the Queen. Every birthday, the Princess, the king's daughter, was given one wish and the king would grant it. On the princess's 4th birthday, the king asked the princess what she desired for her birthday. The princess could have all the riches in the world, all the best toys in the world but she gave the king a look and said, "I wish for a new mommy, papa….""

"How is the king going to get the princess a new Mommy?" Diesel asked, sitting up and giving Stephanie the stink eye, "He's not a wizard, is he?"

"No, he isn't," Stephanie said, pinching Diesel's nose, "You'll find out soon enough…."

"The King, not to be one to deny his child anything, sent word out to all the fair maidens in the land that he would searching for a mother for the princess and whomever became the princess's mother will become his queen."

"He must have gotten a lot of people looking to become the queen, right Mommy?" Heidi asked Stephanie, earning a head nod, "Wow…"

"Every maiden in the land and even some maidens from faraway came to the king's castle to prove their worth to the king. The maidens thought that the king would be choosing the princess's new mother, but in fact, it was the little princess herself who would choose her new mother and goodness, the princess was quite picky. She could sniff out the women who only wanted to become her mother for the power and riches and she could sniff out the women who would be quite mean to her. She didn't want a mother who would do nothing with her and she didn't want a mother who couldn't make cookies with her in the kitchens or how couldn't read to her in the gardens. By the time her 4th birthday came around, the princess had gone through all the maidens in the land, it made her quite sad. She and her father might never find the right mother for her!"

"Oh no, she's not going to get a new mommy like me!" Heidi said, hugging Stephanie, "She'll be sad…."

"Now, hold on, let's go on with the tale," Stephanie said, ruffling Heidi's hair, "Now, on the eve of her birthday, the princess was out in the gardens, playing with her dolls when a woman appeared. She was a lovely looking woman and the princess wondered how she got inside the castle. 'She must be here to see if she will be my new mommy," the princess thought, and so she went over and introduced herself as a servant to the king's daughter. You see, the little princess was very clever, and if this woman were to be her mother, then the princess would trick her and test out her mommy skills."

"She's a smart princess," Maxim said, sitting down on the couch, close to the trio, "this is very interesting…."

"The woman wasn't at the castle to see if she would become the princess's new mommy, in fact she hadn't known about the whole ordeal at all. She had come to talk to the king to see if he could offer his guards as security to protect her. She had this icky man trying to marry her, and she didn't want to marry him. She had gotten lost to the castle and found herself in the castle's gardens. Lucky for her, a servant for the princess came and found her. unlucky for her, the servant demanded that she help her with a few chores for the princess, before her birthday. The child servant led her into the kitchens of the castle and told her that for the princess's birthday, they needed to make her favorite cookies, chocolate chip, and they had to be just right, or else the princess would be very cross with them. The woman didn't want an angry princess on her hand, so she helped the child servant make the princess's cookies. She knew how to bake the most wonderful cookies, because she loved cookies herself. When they were done with the first batch of cookies, the child servant ate one and told the woman that these cookies would please the princess very much and that they would have to make more for her after they finished with the rest of the chores. The next chore was to pick out a book for the princess and for the woman to read it to the child servant. They had to make sure the princess would love the book or else, she would be very cross with them. The woman and child picked out a lovely book and the child told the woman that they would have to read it out in the gardens, for that was the princess's favorite place. The woman and child servant spent a lovely evening out in the gardens, reading the book the servant had picked out for the princess."

"The Princess was happy with the woman, she could make the best cookies in all of the land, she could read any book given to her, and plus the woman was very kind and gentle. The woman didn't even know that the servant she was with was actually the princess and yet treated her quite kindly. The princess had made her choice, this woman would be her new Mommy. The princess escorted the woman into a guest room and told her that she would make sure that she would see the king tomorrow, during the princess's birthday party. That made the woman very happy and the woman went to sleep happily knowing that she would see the king tomorrow. "

"The woman spent all day in the room given to her being waited on by many servants. When she asked about the child servant, the ones serving her had no idea who she was talking about. A child servant for the princess? They've never seen a child servant for the princess! By the time the woman was given a fancy dress and prepared for the princess's party, she was highly confused, who was the child then, if there was no child servant?!"

"Well, the woman was escorted to the ball room of the castle and, to her amazement, found the child servant standing beside the handsome king. The child walked up to the woman and told her that she had played a clever trick on the woman. She was not a servant but in fact, the princess and she had tested the woman to see if she would be a good mommy for her! The princess grabbed the woman's hand and said to her that she would be her new mommy. The woman was stunned as the king walked up to her and told her that since she would become the princess's new mommy, she would become the queen of the land. The woman thanked the king and the princess for the offer, but she could not become the princess's new mommy without getting to know the princess. She could not become the queen of the land without knowing the king and so she proposed that she would live with them in the castle for a month and get to the know them both and if the king and princess were happy with the woman, then she would become the princess's new mommy and the king's new queen."

"The king and princess agreed and so for a full month the woman lived with the king and princess. By the end of the month, she knew that she would never leave the king or princess and when the king came to her and asked her if she would now become his queen and the princess's new mommy, she agreed quickly. There was a grand wedding for the king and woman and the little princess was happy because she now had a mommy to love her forever. The end."

Stephanie looked down at Heidi and Diesel and found the two fast asleep. She turned to Maxim to ask him to help carry the children over to Heidi's bed but found him fast asleep as well. Stephanie shook her head and said, "Children, what am I going to do with them?"

Stephanie laid Diesel out on the couch, well she laid him out over his father and then carried Heidi over to her bed and put her in it. She cover Heidi up and whispered, "Sweet dreams, princess."

Stephanie turned to the hospital room door as it opened and Carlos came walking in, looking grim faced. He walked over to Stephanie and kissed her saying, "Babe…are you alright, you haven't been harassed by anyone today, have you?"

"No, I've been here all day, Lula's been in the shop for me, what's going on?" Stephanie asked as Carlos hugged her to him, "Carlos….."

"Babe, we know who the snake is, it's Morelli," Carlos said softly, looking down at Stephanie's face, "And on top of that…he's the one to drug Brittany, but she wasn't his target, you were."

TBC….

* * *

Aww, sweet moment before all hell breaks loose, please leave a review, they make me write faster!


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40, enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? owo

* * *

_A Mommy For Papi And Me_

_Chapter 40_

* * *

"Oh my goodness, I thought…I thought that they would do something a little less radical," Stephanie said, sitting down in the sleeper chair and looking up at Carlos, "They were going to drug me with what they gave Brittany, it almost killed her! Those….assholes, my mother almost killed my best friend!"

"If she had died, then Morelli would have been in trouble," Carlos said softly, looking over to Maxim, "They want her alive, because they think she knows where your sister and nieces are. They also believe that she has access to the money that the FBI confiscated from Steve."

Stephanie sighed and said, "But what if they figure out that she really doesn't have any access to this information?"

"Hopefully we won't find out," Carlos said, with a smile, sitting down on the arm of the sleeper chair, "She's being moved, until the terrorist group is handled."

"Where is she?" Stephanie asked Carlos, earning a look, "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"No, I'm not, Babe, it's for her safety and for yours as well," Carlos said, earning a sound from Stephanie, " Besides Stephanie, I can't tell you, because she's in the FBI protection now, I'm not legally allowed to say anything."

"Okay, I bet I can't even call her either, this kind of sucks," Stephanie said with a sigh, leaning back in her seat, "But…we can't let Joe and my mother get away with this, we have to do something about this!"

"We do, Babe, but It'll have to wait a bit, since we don't have any proof, except for some mysterious drug compound found in Brittany's system," Carlos said with a frown, crossing his arms and looking over to Heidi, "Plus, if Morelli is after you, I don't know who he'll hurt to get to you."

"You don't think Joe would come after Heidi or anyone else," Stephanie said, looking at Carlos with horror, "You do…."

"He almost killed Brittany, even if it was you he was trying to drug. Morelli is a dangerous man in a dangerous group," Carlos said, standing up, "I've put extra men on the hospital's ground and I'm beefing up security with you and Heidi, you won't go anywhere without them."

"Yes sir," Stephanie said, standing up and giving Carlos a finger salute, "I hope your men like to look at panties and thongs, because I'm going to the shop in the morning."

"I'm sure they'll help model some of it," Carlos joked, leaning in and kissing Stephanie on her lips, "Babe, all that matters is that you're safe, okay?"

"Okay, I'll be safe, I won't do anything stupid, I promise you," Stephanie said, resting her forehead with Carlos's.

"Babe, this weekend, come spend the evening with me at Rangeman, okay," Carlos said kissing Stephanie again, "We could use a mini vacation, I'll have Heidi's favorite uncles stay with her and we'll stay the night on the penthouse, we could use some adult time."

"I like the sounds of that," Stephanie said, leaning into Carlos's embrace, "Grown up time, is my favorite time."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"The child is at Trenton's Children Hospital," A man said to Joe, giving Joe a picture of Manoso's child, "They've buffed up security around the child but, we found a gap in between, when they're switching out teams. Only two men are on the child's room, for a full 15 minutes, we can handle those two men, and get the child."

Joe nodded his head and said, "Alright, men, get the child sometime during the weekend, Sunday would be your best bet. It'll most likely be a skeleton crew and Manoso is going to be busy with something unexpected. Have you found the lawyer yet?"

"No, we had her at the emergency room in Trenton and then she disappeared, we will find her soon, she's bound to slip up," Another man said to Joe, earning a nod.

"Sweep the area and check out every place she's prone to go to," Joe said, looking down at the picture of the child, "When you get the child, take her to the holding house in Stark Street, she'll be less likely to escape in a place like that."

Joe dismissed the men and leaned back in his seat, smiling. During the lunch from hell with the plums, Joe noticed that the lawyer put two and two together and found out that he was in the terrorist group known as the Pit Of Snakes. Oh yeah, he was in it, but what that bitch didn't know was that he was the leader of the group. Not too long ago, Joe had busted some kind of drug maker, but let him go, because the drug maker promised him a nice cut from all his sales. After that, he started to let more people off the hook, people who dealt with drug rings, smuggling weapons, human trafficking , and so on, all due in fact to the promise that he would get a cut in all their profits and good. Once he built up a nice size fortune, he offered those groups new clientele, and promises of free reign to do whatever they wanted to, as long as they came to him. The Pit Of Snakes was formed not too long after that and Joe couldn't have been happier.

That dumb bitch Helen thought Joe would marry Stephanie and save her from Manoso and find her other daughter. Oh no, he wasn't going to marry her, he was going to do what he had planned for her sister and nieces, put her to work in the sex slave ring. Stephanie Plum ruined his navy career, by running him over and breaking his leg, and he would make sure she'd paid in spades and her family would pay as well. When he found out that Stephanie's sister was in California and married to a lawyer, he set out the trap for Steve to offer his legal services to him. He was going to plan on destroying the man's career and putting the family in poverty, but him running off with the money and getting caught worked fine too. Now, Valarie owed him money she could never pay back. The Plum family would be destroyed by the end of this month. He didn't have anything against Manoso, but he was in the way of his revenge. When this was all over, he'd make sure the man would get his child back, but not before Joe made good use of her. There were a lot of rich men out there who liked their lovers on the young side.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"This doesn't make sense," Frank said looking over to his old army buddy, "How in the hell does Morelli have all this money and these properties?"

"That's a good question," Hank, Frank's buddy, said, leaning back against the wall and holding a file in one hand, "I did the digging that you did, Frank, and it doesn't look good, seems like Morelli has been doing some unsavory things in L.A. How can a detective afford two 4.5 million dollar houses and a yacht? Simple…you become a part of the dark side. Morelli brought in high level drug dealers and gun smugglers, yet they got off, due to lack of evidence or because said evidence went missing."

Frank shook his head and let out a sigh. His gut had been telling him that that Morelli boy was still trouble, and he had been right. The gut feeling got worse, since he had heard whispered conversations from Helen to the boy about Stephanie. As a father, you wanted to make sure nothing happened to your child and so Frank contacted friends to look up stuff about Morelli. Morelli was not a man to underestimate and a real threat to his child.

"Thanks for this information," Frank said to Hank, getting up from the man's table, "If you get any other information, call me."

It took Frank a few moments to get back to his house. It seemed like his mother in law was out for the night, since the house was extremely silent. Helen's head popped out from the dining room archway and she said, "Dinner's ready, I made pasta."

That was another person he had to deal with, his wife. Tonight, he would lay down the law of the land and tell Helen to stay away from Morelli, she would cut off all contact to the man and to the man's family, it was time to get this all right.

Frank waited until they were seated and eating their pasta before putting his fork down and saying, "Helen, I want to you stay far away from Morelli, he's nothing but trouble."

"Oh, is he?" Helen asked coolly, looking at Frank, "He's only helping me get our children back, Frank, something you don't seem to be interested in doing."

"He's dangerous and I know he's into something else," Frank said, blinking back the sudden tiredness he felt, what had he done today to be this tired now?

"Oh, well, Frank, to tell you the truth, I don't care what you think, you're not out there looking for our eldest child, and you let the youngest one parade around with thugs, I'm taking matter into my own hands, Frank and for that, you don't need to be around, how'd you like the pasta, sweetie? I put a little something extra in it."

Frank could feel himself start to sweat, and the world began to spin around him. He tried to get up, but his body felt like lead, which had him scared. Helen dabbed her mouth with a napkin and got up, walking over to Frank. She shook her head and said, "Don't worry, Frank, this won't kill you, but you won't wake up until the counter drug is administered and only the leader of the Pit Of Snakes has it, you know, that evil Morelli boy….."

"Helen….you…." Frank slurred, before his eyes rolled up in his head and fell forward on the dining room table, unmoving.

Helen shook her head and made the call to Joe to get Frank, he'd be put somewhere with one of Joe's medical personnel . She had done the same thing to her mother, she really didn't want to but, if they were in the way of Helen and her quest to put some sense back into her girls' heads, then well, things needed to be done.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Don't worry about me, Papi! Uncle Cal and Manny will read me all the stories I want," Heidi said, waving to Stephanie and Carlos as they left the hospital room, "See you tomorrow, Papi and Mommy!"

"That was so easy," Stephanie sighed as Carlos drove them to the Rangeman, "I mean, really easy."

"Babe," Carlos said, looking over to Stephanie, "We've been with her for the past three weeks, she needs this as much as we need a night together."

Carlos was right, as much as they loved the child, they needed some alone time from her and she needed some alone time from them. Carlos told her that he had something big planned out for them later on in the night, but for now, they would just relax and enjoy each other's company.

Stephanie let out a yawn, leaning against Carlos as the elevator went up to the 7th floor. They had stopped at the store and picked up a few items to make dinner. Stephanie had been curious as to why they had gotten food for six people, but Carlos had smiled at her and told her that it was a surprise. She was ready for some yummy Cuban cuisine and then some cuddling time with Carlos.

"Mmm, Cuban shrimp stew and Carlos time?" Stephanie asked, looking over to Carlos with a smile on her face, "Can A girl have a better time?"

The elevator door opened with a ding and Stephanie turned hearing, "Oh yes she can, when her best friend is here!"

"Brittany!" Stephanie said with a smile running over to the opened penthouse door and hugging her friend tightly, "Oh goodness, I thought you were in witness protection?!"

"I am, but I'm here…." Brittany said with a smile, motioning to the penthouse, "I'm living in the lap of luxury and Ella is such a wonderful cook and Lester and I have been having the wonderful sexy time at his little apartment on the 4th floor, I hope you got the ingredients for dinner, because…Lester taught me how to cook a lot of dishes! I'm making dinner tonight, you can help me and tell all about your week, because, being here, eating food and sleeping in Carlos's bed….time seems to slip away."

TBC….

* * *

Uh oh...not only is there trouble ahead, but the end of this story is looming as well! Please leave a review, they make me write faster!


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41, enjoy! Sorry about the long delay, I didn't feel like writing these last few days, life is such a bear...anyways, here it is! And Plus, there's smut!

Warning: Smut!

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review? owo

* * *

_A Mommy For Papi And Me_

_Chapter 41_

* * *

"So, while I'm on vacation, I decided to do a little dirt digging on Joe Morelli," Brittany said, as she chopped up onions and peppers with Stephanie and Carlos, "You have an amazing software, Carlos, where in the hell did you get it?"

"Around," Carlos said, turning to Stephanie, who was giving Brittany a glare, "What's wrong Babe?"

"How in the hell….four days and you're a master chef, two months ago, we nearly burnt down your house making popcorn," Stephanie said pouting at Brittany, "Shrimp fajitas from scratch, puffed pastries with chocolate mousse you made yourself, what else did you make?"

"I have a willing bunch of taste testers on the 5th floor," Brittany said with a smile, "I've been watching the cooking channel and reading online cookbooks. It's kind of easy, after burning the 3rd pie, and Ella has been such a big help too!"

Stephanie shook her head and said, "Okay, woman, finish your tale."

"Oh, okay," Brittany said with a smile, looking at the duo, "Anyways, I did some searches on Joe Morelli and uh…I found some things about him."

Brittany stopped chopping up vegetables and said, "He's a crooked cop, well, we know that…shit, but, he's so crooked, he makes Quasimodo look like a man who walks upright."

Carlos let out a sound as Brittany began to tell them what she found.

"You know, a few years back, there was this huge cocaine bust, in L.A., a huge one," Brittany said, picking up her knife and grabbing the bow of raw shrimp, "About…350 million dollars' worth of cocaine had been confiscated all from this deadly drug cartel. Arrest were made and the feds were all ready to take down one of their top most wanted man but…"

"But…." Carlos said, motioning for Brittany to continue.

Brittany sighed and said, "The drugs went missing, they were in a locked area, but they went missing. There were no fingerprints, or anything, it was like they poof, in midair, guess who the leading detective was too?"

"Morelli," Carlos said, earning a nod from Brittany, "So without the drugs as evidence, the men on trial got set free, right?"

"Right," Brittany said, turning to Stephanie, "Hey you, de-vein the shrimp, but, Carlos, Stephanie, there's other things. Weapons smuggling rings, other drug rings, human trafficking rings, all the evidence missing, gone or not even there! And Joe was the leading detective for all these cases."

"But, that doesn't make sense," Stephanie said softly, looking over to Brittany as she de-veined shrimp, "These cases, they sound high profile, why would Joe be on any of them, and how could he make the evidence just disappear like that?"

"That's the million dollar question," Brittany said softly, looking at the two, "Something isn't right, when I look at all the information, there's something missing, a big missing piece, I'm going to find out,cause that's what a lawyer does!"

"Okay, whatever you say," Stephanie said, getting up and grabbing the bottle of chilled wine, "Let's hurry up with this meal, I'm starving."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Okay," Stephanie said as she finished off her 3rd fajita, "This is…too good, Does this mean we're not going out to eat anymore?"

"Please, of course we are," Brittany said, drinking her wine, "I love cooking, but I have to clean up afterwards, and that's not fun at all."

"Thank you for the meal, Brittany it was pretty good," Carlos said to Brittany who smiled and clapped her hands.

"Oh, I know, anyways, you guys can clean up, I'm going downstairs to be with my Lester, toodles!" Brittany said, getting up and running over to the elevator.

"That wench!" Stephanie said as she looked inside the kitchen, "It's a wreck! Now we have to clean it up."

"Well, now that she's out our head," Carlos said with a smile, looking over to Stephanie, "Grown up time can really begin, let's clean up the kitchen, Brittany left the chocolate puffed pastries."

Stephanie let out a gasp as Carlos leaned in and kissed her neck, his arm snaking around her waist and pulling her close to him. Stephanie turned her head to Carlos and said, "I thought we were going to take it slow."

"I am but a man," Carlos said, grabbing the plate of puffed pastries from the table, "And I think we've been going nice and slow for long enough."

"A Month is hardly nice and slow," Stephanie said, as Carlos kissed her deeply, "Oh, maybe it has been nice and slow….Carlos, the dishes!"

"It can wait, Babe," Carlos said as he helped Stephanie up from the table, "Let's go eat these in my bed."

Carlos led Stephanie to the bed and the woman had all the intentions of eating those tasty looking desserts, but the moment Stephanie was on the bed, Carlos was all over her. He placed the late of desserts on the bedside table and leaned in and captured Stephanie's lips in a searing kiss. Stephanie let out a moan of bliss as Carlos kissed, his mouth demanding and unrelenting, his hands gripped the hem of her blouse. Stephanie gasped as Carlos opened his mouth and swiped his tongue across her lips. The moment Stephanie gasped; Carlos's tongue went past her lips and into her mouth.

Stephanie gripped Carlos's shoulders tightly, and wrapped a leg around his waist as her mouth was plundered by him, his tongue sweeping around in her mouth, playing with her tongue, it was fucking orgasmic. She had been waiting for this for weeks, ever since that night up here in the penthouse. The thought of Carlos pumping himself in her, touching her in intimate places kissing her senseless had her gasping and her mind turning to goo.

"Oh, god, Carlos," Stephanie said, breaking the kiss and licking her lips, her pupils dilated, "Fuck me, Carlos, fuck me hard and good."

"Babe, you have such a potty mouth," Carlos said, with a growl, tearing off Stephanie's blouse, "I'm going to have to punish you for that now."

Stephanie let out a moan of pleasure as Carlos attacked her neck with his teeth and lips, there would surely be bruises on her in the morning, but it would all be worth the shameless looks she would get tomorrow. Stephanie gripped Carlos's shirt and tugged it up and over his head, tossing it on the other side of the bed. She let out a yelp as Carlos sat her up to reach behind her back and unclasp her bra. Stephanie helped Carlos take off her bra, and then leaned forward and kissed him, her arms wrapping around his neck and his hands cupping her bottom.

"Babe," Carlos said, laying Stephanie on the bed and giving her a smoldering look, "You're driving me wild, what am I to do with you?"

"Mmm, better tame me," Stephanie said as Carlos unbuttoned her slacks, and pulled them down along with her panties, "And how are you going to tame me like this?"

"They say that if you want to tame the wildcat, you must pleasure the wildcat," Carlos said, spreading Stephanie's thighs and looking down at her, "Babe, you're bare."

"Well, I don't like wearing a pair of panties and seeing hair sticking out the side of them," Stephanie said, with a blush, arching her back up, "Besides, I do have some hair down there."

"Yeah, in the shape of a heart," Carlos chuckled, lifting one of Stephanie's thigh and kissing it, "Dios, Babe, you look so sexy like this, so open and ready for me…"

Stephanie let out a weak moan of bliss as she felt Carlos place hot opened mouth kisses on her thighs, his lips sucking in skin, leaving bruises and his teeth nipping at her. He began to make his way upward, alternating between each thigh, his hands, running up and down her thighs, sideswiping her pussy and running up and down her stomach, which was taunt with want. Stephanie tried to arch her back up, to get some friction on her pussy, but Carlos gave her a grin and held her down, saying, "Sorry Babe, but I'm not touching that honeypot until I have delirious with want."

That wouldn't take long, Stephanie mused as Carlos let go of her thighs and made a beeline to her breast, his mouth latching on to a nipple, she would be begging for it soon. Stephanie bucked up into Carlos's mouth and the hand that was on her other breast. She could feel his erection digging into her thigh, through his slacks. It had Stephanie purring like a cat, she was the one who made him hard, and she would be the only one to do so from now on. Stephanie let out a squeak of pleasure as she felt Carlos's fingers slide close to her mound, but not touch it.

"No!" Stephanie said, looking up at Carlos, her eyes wide, "You can't do that! You have to touch me, please!"

"No honeypot touching until-" Carlos started but Stephanie let out a growl and said, "You better touch it, Manoso, or else, Carlos Jr. isn't going to get inside the honeypot!"

"You drive a hard bargain," Carlos said, spreading Stephanie's thighs and looking down at her, "But, I can't just touch it, I'm going to have to taste it."

Stephanie let out choke cry of bliss as Carlos dove down and began to lick his way around Stephanie's pussy. His tongue lapped at her wet folds and his mouth sucked on her puffy lips. Stephanie could feel pleasure boiling inside of her as Carlos sucked on her clit. Her toes curled up with pleasure and her stomach coiled tightly. Stephanie whimpered and moaned, wrapping her legs around Carlos's head, her hands gripping the soft bed covers and her head buried in the soft downy pillows. She had been so wound up before began to eat her out that she approached her orgasm quickly. it hit her like a ton of bricks and had her screaming in pleasure, her hands flying down into Carlos's hair and tugging at it.

Stephanie let out a groan of bliss, laying back on the bed and looking up at Carlos who gave her a smirk and asked, "Satisfied, Babe?"

"Oh, yes, I am," Stephanie said with a smile, looking up at Carlos, "But, I don't think you're satisfied, Mr. Manoso."

"I'm not," Carlos said, sliding off the bed to pull his pants off, "Now it's time to tame that honeypot of yours, wildcat."

Stephanie shivered at the sight of Carlos's erection. He was long and thick, she couldn't wait for that monster to fill her right up. Stephanie sat up on her hunches, and said, spreading her legs, "Mmm, better hurry up and tame it, it's getting a little wild…."

Stephanie let out a yelp as Carlos grabbed her by her thighs and slid her to the edge of the bed. She wrapped her legs around his waist and moaned loudly as Carlos pressed into her. It had been so long since she had sex, she could feel Carlos tremble slightly as he pressed his erection in her. It burned slightly but it felt oh so good.

"Dios, babe, you're so tight," Carlos said, pushing all the way into Stephanie, until they were flushed together, "All the way in, Babe, how do you like it?"

"It's so big," Stephanie said, rotating her hips a bit and looking up at Carlos, "Come on, Carlos, fuck me!"

Stephanie yelped as Carlos pulled out of her and then back into her, slamming up against her cervix. Holy shit, he was in deep. Stephanie gripped his forearms as she rotated her hips as he pumped in and out of her. It felt like fucking heaven, the way Carlos pumped in and out of her, and the way she tried to grip him as he pulled all the way out only to push back in without mercy.

"Carlos," Stephanie moaned, arching her back and closing her eyes, "So deep in me! Feels so good, fuck,fuck, fuck!"

Carlos let out a low growl, before pulling out of Stephanie and turning her around, and pulling her up on her knees and pushing into her. Stephanie let out a cry of pleasure, as Carlos sank deeper into her, his hands grabbed her breast and his fingers squeezed her nipples tightly. Stephanie let out a scream of pleasure as Carlos snapped his hips roughly, she could feel his cock rub up against her clit, making sparks of pleasure roll through her body. Stephanie felt Carlos speed up, grunting loudly and gripping Stephanie's breast tightly, before he let out a low growl, cumming deep inside of Stephanie. Stephanie let out a whimper, feeling Carlos rut weakly against her. Carlos let out a sigh and fell on the bed beside Stephanie, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Babe," Carlos said with a chuckle, letting go of Stephanie and leaning over her, "Did you enjoy that too?"

"Enjoyed it….I might be a little addicted to it!" Stephanie said, leaning up and kissing Carlos, "What should we do to fix that addiction?"

"I don't know about you, Babe, but this is one addiction that might need fixing, in fact, let's make it worse," Carlos growled, leaning in and kissing Stephanie soundly on the lips, "Carlos Jr. is ready for round two."

"Mmm, and you've yet to tame this wild animal," Stephanie purred, arching her back, "Better hurry up, the wildcat is feeling quite vicious."

TBC…

* * *

I need to write a few more smut shots...I felt rusty when I wrote this smut...any who, please leave a review, I write faster when I get them!


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42, enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

pelase review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi And Me

Chapter 42

* * *

"Diesel's having a slumber party with me tonight?!"Heidi gasped, looking at Maxim, who nodded his head, slipping Diesel's pajamas over his head, "Are you sleeping over too?"

"Well, I was going to go home for a bit and come back late at night, but, since your uncles are here, I won't be back until morning, I'll bring breakfast, how does pancakes sounds?" Maxim asked Heidi and Diesel, who smiled and at the man and nodded their heads. , "Diesel, you behave, that means no kissing Heidi, I'm sure her uncles wouldn't like it if you tried to kiss her."

Heidi giggled as Diesel gulped and looked over to Cal and Zero, who gave him hard looks. Diesel shook his head and said, "I don't think they would like it if I kissed Heidi even if she wasn't sick."

Maxim chuckled and ruffled Diesel's hair, "Behave tonight, little one, I'll be back at nine, okay?"

"Kay," Diesel said waving goodbye to Maxim, "Bye Deda!"

Heidi and Diesel turned to Cal and Zero and gave them pointed looks. Cal rose an eyebrow and asked, "Yes, you two?"

"We wanna do something fun," Heidi said, climbing off her bed and running over to Cal and Zero, "Let's play a game!"

"Yeah, like a board game!" Diesel said, sitting beside Cal and Zero, "Can we play Monopoly?"

"You have to know some math to play that game, you two," Cal chuckled, "I know you two are smart, but you can barely count to 25."

The two children pouted and then Heidi looked over to Cal and asked, "Well then, tell us a story, and we want an adventure story!"

"Okay, I got one, it's called Rambo Jr. it's Jr. because you two aren't old enough for the legit Rambo," Zero said, looking at the two excited children,"So…this story begins in the dense candy cane forest of South Confectionery land…"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

The boss had been right, the group of men watching the child in the hospital had been scaled down to a skeleton crew, there were only three men, and soon to be two, by the sounds of it. It was late Saturday night, almost Sunday morning. The nurses were about to do their nightly rounds and so that would give them the opportunity to knock them out as well. Canisters of sleeping gases were at the ready, and if needed, they would kill anyone who got in their way. It was to be a quick mission, in and out, with the child in hand.

"Okay," A man said, turning to the group, "At 12:15, the person we put into the hospital will open the doors for us and then make our way up to the 9th floor, administer the sleeping gas on each floor."

The group nodded their heads and waited, their eyes on the 9th floor.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Do you think the gummy bears in Zero's story are really safe against the licorice group?" Heidi asked Diesel softly, lifting her head up and looking at the boy laying on the pull out couch.

"Yeah, of course they are, Rambo saved them all!" Diesel said, getting off the couch bed and going over to Heidi, "He's was a part of the Gingerbread Army, he kicked butt!"

"I hope they are safe," Heidi said, turning on the hospital bed light and looking at Diesel, "That was a good story, Diesel, I can't wait to tell Mommy and Papi about it, I know they're going to like Rambo Jr."

"You're so lucky, Stephanie's your new Mommy!" Diesel said with a smile, climbing on the bed with Heidi, "I bet you're going to do a lot of cool stuff with her, she looks like she'll be a good mommy."

I hope she and Papi get married, then she can live with us for forever," Heidi said softly, sitting up and grabbing Harriet the Ferret, "It's way past our bedtime, Diesel, I bet, if Uncle Zero and Cal were in here, they would tell us to go back to sleep."

"Well they're not here," Diesel said, looking at the clock on the wall, "I can kind of tell time, it says it's 12:15 maybe they-"

Diesel stopped short, hearing two loud thuds outside the hospital room door. Heidi turned to Diesel and asked, "What was that?"

"I don't know," Diesel said softly, going over to the door and locking it, "Better lock the door, just in case…"

Heidi let out a cry as the lights went off in the room and the emergency lights came on. Diesel ran over the bed and asked, "Are you okay, Heidi?"

"I want my Papi!" Heidi said softly, hugging Harriet close to her, "What's going on, Diesel?"

"I don't know," Diesel started but paused, hearing heavy footsteps outside the hospital room, "Is that Uncle Zero and Cal?"

"No, it can't be, that sounds like a bunch of army men stomping around," Heidi said, looking over to Diesel.

The two children let out a scream as someone began to hit the hospital door, trying to break it down. Diesel slid off the bed and turned to Heidi saying, "We have to hide!"

"I can't!" Heidi said holding up the IV that was in her hand, "Diesel! I'm scared, what do we do?!"

Diesel ran over to Heidi and asked, "The nurses can take it out in the daytime, right?" earning a head nod from Heidi, "Well, let's take out that part and hide somewhere!"

It took the two precious minutes, but they got the IV out of Heidi's catheter and slid underneath the hospital bed just as the door caved in and a group of men came in a curtain of white smoke. Diesel turned to Heidi and whispered, "We're going to make a run for it, okay?"

"'Kay," Heidi agreeded, hugging Harriet in one arm and holding Diesel's hand, "Let's go, Diesel."

With the white smoke covering them, the two children raced out the hospital room and down the smoke filled hallway. They ran around nurses who lay in a crumple heap on the floor and patients who lay in their doorway. What had happened to them? Where they dead, or something worse…?

Diesel stopped in front of a fire alarm and said, "Remember how we're not supposed to touch this unless something bad is happening?"

"Uh-huh, I remember, this is a bad time, right, can we touch it!" Heidi asked, looking over to Diesel, who nodded his head and grabbed the fire alarm and pulled it down, causing bells and alarms to go off, "Come on, let's go hide!"

They ran into a linen closet and hid beneath a pile of unfolded clean blankets. They held their breaths as the door to the closet was wrenched opened and a person came in, tossing out sheets and blankets, looking for something, or someone. Diesel and Heidi let out twin screams of fear as their hiding place was found and they were picked up by the person.

"Which one is the brat?!" The person asked another person who ran up to them, "I found two of them, which one do we take?!"

"Take them both, shit, they'll both be worth some money," the person grunted, grabbing Heidi, "Fuck they're like a bunch of eels."

"Let go of me! PAPI! HELP ME!" Heidi screamed, struggling in the man's arms, "PAPI!"

It took Diesel a moment to remember what Papi had taught them a while back; aim where it hurts. Diesel let out a grunt and tried to kick the man in the groin, but the man laughed and flipped Diesel around so that he couldn't do anything.

"This kid thinks he's going to get away," The person holding him said, pulling out a white cloth, "Fucking shame the sleeping gas is only good for a few seconds, this will have to do, lights out kiddies…."

Diesel turned seeing the man press the cloth to Heidi's face, making her struggle for a moment, before she went still in the other man's grip, "Heidi! Let her go, you bad men! Let her go or else I'-"

Diesel couldn't finish threatening the men because he too had the white cloth pressed against his face. He smelt something sharp and strong and then there was nothingness.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie let out a sound, turning in Carlos's arms as the sound of a cell phone went off. Stephanie sat up in bed and turned her body to side table that was on Carlos's side of the bed. She reached over and grab the phone, frowning when she saw the number of the children's hospital on the screen. She answered the phone with a soft, "Hello?"

"It this Carlos Manoso?" A man asked on the other end, "I need to speak with Heidi's Manoso father immediately."

"What's going on, I'm her mother, is she ill?" Stephanie asked, her voice rising, "What is going-"

"Babe," Carlos said, sitting up and taking the phone from her, "This is Carlos, talk."

"Sir, there has been an invasion at the children's hospital by a group," The man said softly, making Carlos sit up in the darkness, "Mr. Manoso sir, they've taken your child and the child that was with her."

Stephanie watched Carlos's face darken and then he abruptly hung the phone up, "Carlos, what's wrong…."

"He took my child," Carlos said, in a soft, even voice, "Morelli took my child,he took Heidi."

"Oh my god," Stephanie said, her hands flying up to her mouth, "She's ill, she'll get sicker if she's not in the hospital, oh god, why did he take her!"

"He took Diesel as well," Carlos said, getting out the bed and grabbing some pants, "I'm going to call Maxim and Beverly and set up a meeting, get dressed, Babe, I'll see you soon."

Carlos slipped his shirt over his head, gave Stephanie a kiss and then was off. Stephanie shook her head and was about to get out of bed, when her phone went off as well. Stephanie grabbed her phone and answered it with a soft, "Hello…?"

"Hey, cupcake, I have something that belongs to your little boyfriend," Joe said with a chuckle, making Stephanie sob softly, "Actually, I have two four year old, and, I'm not going to lie to you, there are some people out there who would pay good money to have them…"

"You sick fuck," Stephanie said softly, her body shaking, "Let them go, Heidi and Diesel are not a part of this."

"I'll let them go, only if you and that bitch lawyer come to me, and you better hurry up, you only have 24 hours and then the children are going to be introduced into marketplace, and I know for a fact that they'll be hot commodities….tick-tok, Cupcake."

Stephanie let out a frustrated sob as Joe hung up the phone. She called Brittany, who answered in one ring, "Baby, what can I-"

"Morelli has the children, and he wants us," Stephanie said softly, earning a hiss from Brittany, "Brittany, what do we do…?"

"The gears are turning in my head, but, we'll consult with the group first and if they go alone with it, I say…we give him what he wants, us." Brittany said softly, making Stephanie gasp, "What?!"

"Brittany this sounds dangerous," Stephanie said softly, making Brittany chuckle, "What?!"

"I'm your lawyer, don't worry about it, if they agree to the plan, then everything will be alright, you see, Stephanie, I always have a plan B, hurry up and get to the meeting room, I'll go over the plan there."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Diesel," Heidi said softly, crawling over to the boy, "Diesel, are you alive?"

Diesel let out a groan, his eyelids fluttering open and his body sluggish, "Heidi…are you okay, Heidi?"

"Yeah, I'm okay and so is Harriet the Ferret," Heidi said softly, as Diesel got up to his knees, "Are you okay?"

"I feel heavy, but I'm okay," Diesel said, as Heidi cuddled close to him, "Where are we?"

"I don't know, but I want my Papi real badly," Heidi said, as the two looked around, "Why are we here?"

They were in a single bare room, that had only a mattress in it, a boarded up window and a freestanding heater that had chains on it. There were large stains near the heater that were reddish brown. It had Heidi and Diesel shivering, what kind of stains were those? The room smelled and the air was stale. The only door in the room was made of metal with a metal cat door on it. A single light blub lit the small area and hung from the wall. Diesel wrapped an arm around Heidi and said, "Don't worry, we'll be okay, Heidi, I'm your boyfriend, I'll protect you and Harriet."

TBC.

* * *

Two More chapters left, woot woot, I'm starting to write something else, but It could use some tweaking, whatever...please leave a review, they make me write faster, oh tomorrow is my Birthday, so I will be incognito!


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43, enjoy!

Warning: Violence, but not a lot of it

Disclaimer in chapter 1

Please review?!

* * *

A Mommy For Papi and Me

Chapter 43

* * *

"Babe," Carlos said, to Stephanie as she sat down, "Something's bothering you, what's wrong?"

"I….I got a call from Morelli," Stephanie said softly, looking around the crowded table, "He told me that he wanted Brittany and I in 24 hours, or else Diesel and Heidi would be placed in his market and they're considered a hot… commodity."

There was a heavy silence in the conference room, they all understood the words that Stephanie told them, it wasn't just any market, it was the human trafficking market. Maxim placed a hand on Beverly's trembling shoulder and said, in a low voice, "We'll get him back, Bev, we will."

Jeanne turned to Carlos and Tank saying, "What's the plan, guys, I know one of you has a plan, right?"

"I have a plan," Brittany said, walking into the conference room, Lester following behind her with a file box, "It's a little risky, but I think it'll go off without much damage."

Lester placed the file box on the table, moving out the way as Brittany tore open the top and pulled out a stack of papers. Carlos leaned forward and asked, "What's your plan Brittany?"

"I know your plan is to find Morelli and torture him for the location of the children, but, the way I see it, why dirty our hands when we can get someone to do it for us," Brittany said, looking around at the group, "A year ago, I helped a man out of a tight fit, he owes me a favor, and his name is…Alexander Armstrong."

"Wait a minute…not Alexander Arnold Armstrong, triple A," Carlos said to Brittany, who smiled and nodded her head, "The Department of Defense's number one domestic terrorist, they could arrest you."

"Well, this was all before he got that bad reputation," Brittany said with a smile, holding up a stack of paper, "Well, anyways, it was legal trouble, and he paid me well, so, anyways, here's the plan, Stephanie and I will tell Morelli to meet us at place, but Alexander is going to be there as well, and from what I read on Alexander's Twitter, his business has been hurting because of the Pit of Snakes, he'll be happy to know that the leader of the Pit of Snakes will be the one coming to the trap."

"A terrorist has a twitter," Beverly deadpanned, looking at Brittany, "And you follow it?"

"Oh, he follows me, he's the man friend that Lester wants me to cut ties with," Brittany said with a smile, "See, Lester, I told you, Alexander would come in handy one day."

"Woman, you don't need to accept the lavish expensive gifts he sends to you!" Lester said, waving his arms, "I can buy you that stuff, damn it all! What if he wants to get back with you?!"

"The most dysfunctional relationship I've ever seen," Tank sighed, turning to Carlos, "Well, what do you think of the plan?"

"It would be easier to trick him than to torture him and Brittany has a point, I really don't want to get my hands dirty, again," Carlos said, making Stephanie turn to him.

"Again?!...Wait…" Stephanie said, looking up at Brittany, "You said that Joe is the leader of the POS, how did you find out?!"

Brittany frowned and crossed her arms, "Well, I kind of figured that since he was working his ass off to get to Stephanie and I he either is A; Some higher up trying to get in with the leader of the POS, or B; He is the leader, and from all the past cases he had in which all the perps got off, I'm leaning to him being the leader of the POS, and I think I'm right."

"Call up this man, Brittany, and we'll pretend that we don't know he's a terrorist," Jeanne said, turning to Brittany, "In fact, if he brings the POS down, we might put in a good word for him, set up the point and then Stephanie, call Morelli, that way, we can get the children away from Morelli."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Hey, Heidi," Diesel said, leaning against the sobbing girl, "Come on, let's think of a game we can play! Maybe I Spy, or something else."

"I want my Papi," Heidi sobbed, hugging Harriet close to her body, "I don't wanna be here, Diesel, I'm scared!"

"I'm scared to, you know, but I'm not crying," Diesel said, shuffling in front of Heidi, "That's cause I have to be brave and strong for you, I'm your boyfriend can you be brave too, Heidi?"

Heidi let out a hiccup and nodded her head, "I can be a little brave, Diesel, but, I really want my Papi."

The two children had been in this little room for who knows how long. They had asked to go to the bathroom, but their captors told them to hold it in or go on themselves. They hadn't eaten in a long time and their tummies were rumbling loudly. They just wanted to be out of this place and back home with their mommies and daddies.

Diesel nodded his head and asked, "Doesn't Harriethave hidden pockets on her? I remember seeing you stick crayons in there, when you wanted to color in places we aren't supposed to color."

Heidi smiled and said, "Mhmm, I put all my secret things in there, and sometimes, Papi put things in there too, like candy or money to put in my piggy bank," opening up a hidden pouch, "Harriet used to belong to my first Mommy, but she went to sleep for forever, Grandpa Manns gave her to me, I go over to England all the time, and-oh…"

Heidi stopped talking to Diesel to pull out something hard from inside of Harriet. She held up a black small item that looked like a remote control, but with only one red button on it. Heidi turned to Diesel who frowned and asked, "What is it, Heidi?"

"I don't know," Heidi said softly, pulling out a small note, "Oh, I can kinda understand these big words. It says: My Sweet Heidi...If you…ev-ever-ar-arein big tro-trou-"

"I think it's trouble," Diesel said, looking over to Heidi, "Press…press the red bu-button…"

"Oh! I know what this is now," Heidi said, turning to Diesel, a small grin on her face, "Diesel! It's one of my Papi's panic button, he always shows me one of these, and tells me that he gives them out to customers who get one of the top three security packages, just in case bad people take them away!"

"So, if you press that button, then Papi will find us?" Diesel asked, earning a head nod from Heidi, "Well then, what are you waiting for?! Press the button!"

Heidi and Diesel turned their heads as the heard a loud click on the metal door, follow by the door being opened. Heidi quickly stuffed the panic button back into Harriet and huddled close to Diesel as a man entered the room. She had seen this man before, a while back, at the grocery store with her Papi and Mommy.

"You called my Mommy Cupcake," Heidi said, shivering as the man walked over to the two of them, "I don't like him, Diesel."

"You're a smart cookie," The man said, with a smile, looking down at the children, "I won't hurt you, sweetie, I'm just using you to get to Stephanie."

"Well, she would never go to a big meanie head like you!" Diesel said, standing up and placing himself in front of Heidi, "She doesn't like you and she's gonna be real mad about all this!"

The man chuckled and said, "Do you think I care, punk, about Stephanie coming back to me, guess what, kid, I don't care, I don't love her, do you know what I want from her? Revenge, she ruined my life all those years back, and now, I'm going to ruin hers and to start with, I'm putting you two in the marketplace. I promised her that I would bring you two back, but I think I changed my mind, you two will make me a pretty penny."

Diesel shuffled back from the man as he leaned down and said, "They like 'em young."

The man gave them a dark smile and turned to the opened door, "Alright, men, get them to the transport, the plane's waiting in the field, we'll take off once I'm back from doing business with Cupcake and the lawyer bitch."

Heidi and Diesel screamed and fought as they were hefted up by a group of men. Heidi made sure to have a tight grip on Harriet as they were tossed into the trunk of a car. Diesel turned to Heidi and said, "I think you can press the button now."

Heidi nodded her head and, in the darkness of the trunk, opened up Harriet's hidden pouch and pulled out the black panic button and pressed the red button.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Alexander!" Brittany cooed, running over to a handsome middle aged man, "I missed you so much, and no, I didn't rat you out to the Feds, they just need your help, remember what I told you on the phone?"

"That's Triple A?" Stephanie asked, Lester, who rolled his eyes and nodded his head, "I can see why you would be afraid if he wanted to snatch Brittany up, he's pretty hot."

"And fit," Jeanne said, giving Alexander a once over, "Alexander, the FBI would-"

"No, I'm not doing this for that joke of a agency, I'm doing it because my little flower asked me," Alexander said, as Brittany hugged him tightly, "Darling, are you sure you still want to be with this man? I doubt he can provide in the way that I can."

"Well, I like being with him and plus, he got me pregnant," Brittany said, kissing Alexander's cheek, "Oops, now that was supposed to be a secret."

"Pregnant?" Lester whimpered, whimpered, looking at Brittany, who nodded her head and rubbed her abdomen, "Holy shit…."

"Now look here, son, you can't faint right now, my little flower needs you at your best, I have my men at the ready, this trap needs to go off without a hitch, there are children at stake, how low of this man, to target children!"

Brittany didn't even need to explain the situation, Alexander had agreed and even offered his cabin that lay in the woods of New York. With the location set, Stephanie called Joe and told him the location in which they would be at. Joe had been quick to agree and told them to be there at 9PM. Once the children were safe and away from Joe, Alexander's men would attack. Stephanie wondered how the children were, since they've been gone for over half a day. They must have been terrified and hungry and scared. Carlos had stayed behind in New Jersey, just in case, he told them, things could happen.

Stephanie turned to Brittany and Alexander and asked, "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Of course it's going to work," Alexander said, looking down at his watch, "He'll be here at nine, all this will over with by ten."

"I love it when you get into this mode, so sex-" Brittany started but, covered her mouth and rushed off to the powder room.

"The next one will be mine," Alexander said to Lester, who puffed up like a fish.

"The next one what?!" Lester asked, stomping over to the man, "I hope it's known terrorist leaders."

"No, I'm talking about babies, Brittany's going to carrying my child," Alexander said, making Lester shake his head and rub his temple.

"I'd like to see you try…" Lester growled, before he stomped away, "Come, on, let's get into position, it's 8:30, I want this done by 10PM."

Getting into position meant that everyone but Brittany and Stephanie would go into hiding and then the two women would sit around and wait for Joe to show up with the children. Alexander kissed Brittany's cheek, once the woman came out the powder room wiping her mouth with a face towel and then left the front room of the cabin to go hide. Stephanie turned to Brittany and asked, "You're really pregnant?"

"I am, almost 2 months along," Brittany said with a smile, rubbing her stomach, "Bobby confirmed it three days ago, after Ella came to me with a test and told me that my cycle was off, she's a psycho, that lady is."

"You mean psychic," Stephanie sighed, turning to front door, "Oh goodness, I hope Diesel and Heidi are alright.

"He wouldn't dare harm those children," Brittany said, leaning against the side table in the foyer, "Sadly, they're worth money to him, but he's not going to do anything with them, we'll stop him right here, tonight."

"You're right," Stephanie said with a smile, which faded as she heard the sounds of a car pulling up. Stephanie looked down at her watch and said, "9PM on the dot, well, Brittany let's do this."

Stephanie let out a sigh and nearly jumped out her skin as she heard quick knocks on the cabin door. Stephanie turned to Brittany, who nodded her head and then walked over to the door and opened it, only to jump back as her mother came barreling into the cabin, "Mother?! What are you doing here?!"

"Where is your sister, she's supposed to be here?!" Helen said, rounding on Brittany and Stephanie, "Joseph said she would be here, now, where is she?!"

"What the fuck…" Brittany said, looking over to Stephanie, "Wait a minute, are you…working with Morelli?!"

"I am, someone needs to help me knock some sense into my daughters," Helen said, looking over to Stephanie and Brittany, "He promised to bring you around, once Valarie paid him back the money she owes him."

"Mother, are you fucking nuts?! Joe is a part of the Pit Of Snakes, they're a known terrorist group!" Stephanie said, her eyes wide with horror, "Why would you-"

"Cupcake," Joe said, walking into the cabin, wielding a gun in his hands, "How are you this evening?"

"Where are Heidi and Diesel?!" Stephanie demanded, looking past Joe's shoulders, "We made a deal, Brittany and me in exchange for the children…"

Joe chuckled darkly and said, "Well, I thought about it and then I said, you know what, I want all the apples in the tree, so you and your little lawyer friend are going to come with me and we'll see about finding that sister of yours, you all are going to be working overtime to get back all that money that's owed to me."

"You told me that Valarie would be here!" Helen shouted, rounding on Joe now, "You promised me that I would get my daughter back!"

"I lied, fuck, as if I care about that bitch," Joe said, making Helen gasp in horror, "I don't care about the fucking Plum family, Stephanie wrecked my life, and I'm going to wreck her whole family! Your father and grandma Mazur, Stephanie, cupcake…well, Helen here drugged them and now they're in a coma, who knows if they'll ever wake up! And you know what, I don't care and I hope they die!"

Stephanie turned to her mother and said, shaking her head, "No…that's not true, is it?! Mother! Why would you do something like that! To your husband and mother!"

"Because they filled your head with utter bull and then tried the same with Valarie!" Helen boomed, crossing her arms, "I got them out the way to fixing my children!"

"You're fucking crazy!" Brittany shouted to Helen before turning to Joe, "We made a deal, Morelli, now, you pay your end of the deal, where are the children at?!"

"Not here with me, they're being loaded up, as we speak, and once I have you two, we'll be going to where they are," Joe said, with a smirk, stepping closer to the women, " Now, we can do this the easy way or the-"

"Joseph, I want my daughter now, I've held my end of the deal, I got you to Stephanie, I really don't care what happens to her, but Valarie, she's the perfect one, she can redeem herself!"

That declaration hurt Stephanie down to her bones. She turned to Brittany who had a look of rage on her face.

"You are a grade A cunt, Mrs. Plum and I'll see to it that once Frank is out of his coma, you'll be left with nothing, when he divorces you!"

"Oh shut up, you little dumb slut!" Helen snapped at Brittany, "It's people like you, who ruined Stephanie! She was fine until she began to deal with you and those other people! As long as I get Valarie back and the girls back, I can erase all the trash you filled in her head!"

"She's not going back to you, Helen, she's going to spend the rest of her useful life paying back her debt," Joe said with a chuckle, turning to Helen, "Her and her children are going to be working off that debt."

"The nerve of you, Joseph Morelli! I put all my trust in you and this is what you say to me?!" Helen shouted, pushing at Joe, "I am going to get my daughter back and you aren't going to-"

Stephanie and Brittany screamed loudly as Joe pulled the trigger of the gun and Shot Helen in her shoulder. Joe turned the gun to Brittany and Stephanie and said, "Alright, you two, now, time to go, we have to get you ready for your debut on the marketplace."

"I don't think so," Alexander said, walking from out his hiding places, holding a gun up to Joe's head, "Joseph Morelli, leader of the Pit Of Snakes, this has been a long time coming…"

Brittany and Stephanie scrambled out the way as a group of Alexander's men came out of their hiding spots, guns drawn at Joe. Joe looked around and chuckled, looking over to Stephanie, "Well, Cupcake, even if you bring me down, those two precious children are still going to the marketplace, and it'll only be a matter of time when I'm free from prison."

Joe was right, Heidi and Diesel were out there, lost and maybe in the black market right now! Stephanie felt her throat close up and she was about to go into a fit of hysteria when her phone chirped. Stephanie lifted the phone up and let out a loud sob of relief. She had gotten a message from Carlos stating that they found the children in a little plane that had been waiting for Joe.

Stephanie gave Brittany her phone so she could read the message and Brittany let out a bark of laughter, "Sorry, Joe, but it looks like Carlos and his team successfully retrieved Heidi and Diesel from the plane you put them in."

"And about that idea that you're going to prison," Alexander said with a dark smile, "Well, you went after my little flower, and I can't forgive you for that, boys, get Morelli settled in at the other spot, I'll be there to take care of him, by the beginning of the morning, that little Pit of Snake gang will be nothing but history."

Jeanne frowned as Joe was dragged out the cabin, "Now, wait a minute, you can't do that, he's going to jail and he's going to get a trial he's-"

"Guilty, in my eyes, taking children and selling them in the sex slave market is a no-no for me, there is honor in these types of groups and children are off limit," Alexander said, before rounding on Brittany, "Little flower, I bid you a good day, I'll call you later for lunch, I'll be sure to send you something nice."

"See you soon Alexander," Brittany said, kissing his cheek, and then turning to Lester, "Come on, Lester, Jeanne can take care of Ms. Plum and get the whereabouts of Stephanie's father and grandmother, let's go take her to see Carlos and Heidi."

"Now, about this Alexander," Lester said, wrapping his arm around Brittany's waist and wrapping another arm around Stephanie's shoulders, "I think you should really cut ties with him, I mean, you're carrying my child and he has it in his head that you'll carry his!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Deda! Mama!" Diesel exclaimed, running over to his parents and jumping in Maxim's waiting arms, "I was so scared, but I had to be brave for my Heidi!"

"You are never, ever leaving my sight again!" Beverly said, kissing Diesel's face and pinching his cheeks, "Never ever again! You're not hurt, are you?!"

"No Mama," Diesel said, hugging his mother tightly, "But, I am hungry, that bad man kept us in this icky room with no food or a bathroom for a long time."

"We'll buy you anything you want and then some," Maxim said, hugging Diesel to him, "You're a brave boy, Thaddeus, protecting Heidi from danger."

"Bella," Carlos said, holding Heidi tight to him an d kissing her cheeks, "I'm sorry I couldn't make here any faster, thank goodness you're alright, you're not hurt or anything?"

"I need to go to the bathroom and I'm very hungry," Heidi said hugging Carlos, "But I really just want to hug my Papi. You left a panic button in Harriet."

"I never put a panic button in Harriet," Carlos said, softly, hugging Heidi again, "But thank goodness there was one in there, we would have never found you."

"Diesel protected me from that man who called Mommy a cupcake," Heidi said, pointing to Diesel who was in his parents' arms, "He's a really good boyfriend, Papi."

"Oh, is he?" Carlos said, a smile on his face, before carrying Heidi over to Diesel and his parents, "Diesel, Heidi told me that you protected her, and made sure nothing bad happened to her, is that true?"

"Yes sir, a solider always makes sure that they protect those they love the most." Diesel said, his voice serious, "I'll protect Heidi from anything."

Carlos gave Diesel a hard look and then nodded his head, maybe Carlos didn't mind this little punk after all. Carlos shifted Heidi in his arms and asked, "So, Diesel do you want to come with us back to the hospital, that way you can protect Heidi?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Diesel said with a smile, saluting Carlos, "Does this mean I can still marry Heidi?"

"We'll come back to that, when you graduate college," Carlos said earning a nod from Diesel, "For now, let's get you both fed and to the potty."

Carlos held Heidi in his lap as Tank drove them to the hospital, he called Stephanie to tell her to meet them at the hospital, they would be there in an hour or so. He had been surprised when Cal informed him of a panic button going off somewhere in a New Jersey field, and he and his men went out to investigate it. Thank the stars he did, or else Heidi and Diesel would be long gone by now.

Carlos picked up Harriet and opened the hidden pouch on her and took out the panic button and the note that was in there. He opened the note and read it, his heart nearly leaping to his throat. The noste was simple yes, but it was the hand writing, he only knew one person who wrote like this…that can't be possible.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Thank goodness you're alright," Stephanie said, hugging Heidi close to her, before rounding on Diesel and hugging him tightly, "You too, thank goodness you're all fine."

Carlos had called her and told her to meet them at the children's hospital, where Heidi was being treated for a mild infection from her IV. She didn't want the two children to ever leave her sight again. Jeanne and her FBI crew had found where Grandma Mazur and her Father were and had them transported to a hospital in New York. They were in the ICU, until the team of toxicologist could find the compound that Helen gave them. Speaking of Helen, Stephanie's mother had been patched up and was now in jail, awaiting trial.

"I'm never letting you go again," Stephanie said to Heidi, hugging her tightly,"Never ever again!"

"You have to, Mommy, I'm hungry," Heidi said, grabbing the burger that made up her meal, "But, don't worry, Auntie Brittany said that the bad man would never come back, why not? Is he in jail?"

Stephanie and Carlos wouldn't tell the child that Morelli had met his demise due to a freak plan accident into an active volcano, well that's what Alexander told Brittany and Stephanie was inclined to believe the man. He looked like a man who could get these things done.

"Yup, he's in jail, he won't be messing with us ever again, and that means Valarie and the girls are coming out of hiding."

"Good!" Heidi said, smiling up at Stephanie, "I like Mary Alice and Angie, I can't wait to see them."

Stephanie got up and walked over to Carlos, who sat near the window, holding a note in his hand, his eyes on the piece of paper, "Carlos, I know you're happy to have Heidi back."

"I am," Carlos said, turning to see Heidi and Diesel chatting happily, eating their dinner, "Though, something's off, here read this."

Stephanie took the note Carlos held up and read what was on it. She looked over to the man and said, "So you put the panic button in Harriet, why is that a-"

"I didn't," Carlos interrupted Stephanie, taking the note from her, "Her mother did, this is Heidi's handwriting, I could spot it from a mile away, she loved to curve her words and put stars above her letters instead of dots, Heidi the first wrote her this, and put the panic button in Harriet."

"Like a ghost?" Stephanie asked, earning a head nod, "Oh my goodness, that's a little freaky, you don't believe in that kind of stuff, right?"

"I think Heidi's mother is watching out for her from above," Carlos said with a smile, looking over to Stephanie, "Maybe I put the Panic button in Harriet, and forgot I did."

"Maybe," Stephanie said, hugging Carlos tightly, "Now, come on, looks like Diesel is zeroing in for a kiss."

"He better not, I may like him a bit more, but doesn't mean he can make his moves now!"

TBC…

* * *

Whooo, that's the end of that scary situation, now, all that's left is the epilogue! See you all on the other side! Please leave a review, they make me write faster!


	44. Chapter 44

Sorry about the delay, I like, was gone for the weekend or so, family came down and everything, here it is, the last chapter! I know, this is bittersweet, but...It had to end, right? Well, enjoy!

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter one!

Please review? owo

* * *

A Mommy For Papi And Me

Chapter 44

Epilouge

* * *

"Uh…well, Papi…I came to talk to you about…um…"

"Um…what?" Carlos Manoso asked, looking across his desk at the man in front of him, "Well, out with it, I don't have all day to deal with gibberish."

"IwanttoaskforyourpermissionformetomarryHeidi!"

Carlos blinked and leaned forward in his seat to look at the man in front of him, well, more like young man. Thaddeus Vladimir, aka, Diesel, had grown up into a hearty looking 18 year old. He towered over his parents and could easily win in a sparring match with all of his Rangemen. With his intelligence, he got accepted into an MIT nanotechnology program at age 9 and graduated at age 12 at the top of his class. He now worked at the school, in the nanotechnology and psychics department as one of the leading researchers.

"You want my permission to marry my child," Carlos said to Diesel, who nodded his head slowly, "And, why should I give it to you? "

"Because, I can provide for her, in my line of work I make plenty of money, and not only that, but, I love her a lot, like, it feels right when I'm with her," Diesel said, a mushy smile on his face, "It's like we're soul mates, I can't get enough of Heidi."

"I see," Carlos said, looking at Diesel and watching him sweat, "Well, let me tell you something, boy, my child has a bright future ahead of her, she's highly intelligent and is making a name for herself out there. I think marriage should be the last thing on both your minds-"

"But-" Diesel started but Carlos raised his hand up and gave him a look.

"I think marriage should be the last thing on both your minds, but, I think you two can handle the challenge well enough," Carlos said, watching Diesel's face transform from horror and into amazement, "Let me tell you something, Thaddeus, if you hurt my child in any shape or form, I'm coming for you."

"Does this mean I can ask Heidi to marry me?" Diesel asked, earning a head nod, "YES! I have to go get the ring, Heidi's going to love this! I can't believe it, I'm going to marry Heidi!"

Diesel whooped and ran out Carlos's office. The moment he did, Tank and Lester stuck their heads in the doorway of the office. Carlos rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, they're getting married, but don't you dare call Lula and Brittany, Heidi gets to find out first."

"No need to, those two are with Stephanie and Heidi and the other children," Lester said, leaning against the doorway, "He's been asking for your permission to marry Heidi since he was 12, the kid has dedication, I give him that."

"And he has a set on him, remember the last boy that met you Carlos, he wet his pants and ran away," Tank chuckled, earning a chuckle from Carlos, "That's the first time I heard Diesel stutter in front of you, must have been scared as hell."

"Good, I hope he is, this is my daughter's life he's about to change," Carlos said with a smile, getting up from his desk, "I'm going home, I want to be there when Diesel pops the question."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Carlito, Danielle, please you two, calm down," Stephanie said, grabbing the two children, and wrapping her arms around their waist, "What are you two doing?"

"We're playing hide and seek, Mommy," The small six year old girl said hugging Stephanie, "And Carlito and I are the taggers!"

"Mhmm," Carlito said, nodding his head, "We're looking for Chantal and Nona."

"Oh, well good luck, those two are the best hiders around," Stephanie said, letting go of her children and turning to the two women sitting on the couch of the living room, "So, I finished designing the new intimate line, and I wanted your opinions, Brittany and Lula, what do you think?"

"I like em'," Lula said, shifting through the sketches, "Are you going to make these g-strings leopard printed, cause these would look hot with that print."

"No they wouldn't" Brittany said, snatching up the sketches, "I have to model these, you know."

"I thought you were on a big case?" Stephanie asked Brittany who shrugged her shoulders and placed the sketches on the table.

"I am, but the defendant is having some issues and asked for an extended recess, I have plenty of time on my hand," Brittany said, crossing her legs, "Plus, the quadruplets are going to Lester's parents' house for the month and Nona is about to head off to camp, I could use the distraction."

Stephanie shook her head and said, "You're still crazy as ever, so, I heard the sad news about Alexander…"

"Yeah," Brittany sighed, crossing her arms and looking into her tea cup, "Can you believe it, killed by a peanut, I told him he was allergic to them, but he never did listen to my advice…"

"Wait, didn't he choke on the peanut?" Stephanie asked Brittany, who nodded her head, "Well, uh…it doesn't mean uh…okay."

"You told me that Alexander left you his fortune, what are you going to do with it?" Lula asked Brittany, who shrugged her shoulders and sipped her tea.

"I don't know, maybe put it in a trust fund for the children, and buy a bigger house," Brittany said, watching as her youngest child, Nona came barreling into the living room, "Non, what did I tell you about running?"

"If it's not from danger or if there's no food around, don't do it!" Nona said, climbing in Brittany's lap, "I just miss my Mommy."

"I missed you two, where are your sisters?" Brittany asked, wrapping her arms around her youngest child.

"Upstairs with Heidi, playing video games," Nona said, curling up in her mother's lap, "It's a bad game that I can't play, cause I'm too little."

"I see," Stephanie said, getting from the couch, "Well, I'm going to call them all down, Lunch is almost ready, go round up the other tiny terrors for me, Nona."

Stephanie climbed up the stairs, and made her way down the hall to the only door that looked as though a rainbow had thrown up on it. She knocked on the door and said, "Ladies, lunch is almost ready," opening the door and seeing five teenage girls sitting on a blue shag rug, "Carla, Marla, Darla, Heidi and Alex, can you all put your game down for a few hours."

"We could, Auntie Stephanie, but that would require us to save, and we're nowhere near a darn check point." Alex said, looking up at Stephanie, "And we're nowhere near one!

Stephanie rolled her eyes and sat down on Heidi's big bed, watching the flashing bright lights on the big screen, while the sounds of fingers pushing buttons filled the room. Brittany's surprise pregnancy turned out to be a bigger surprise, when she gave birth to identical quadruplets. Brittany and Lester had been ill-equipped for one baby and they crashed and burned with four of them. Luckily, they had a strong support system and so they didn't crash and burn too much. The Quadruplets had their mother's personality and their father's carefree attitude. Out all of them, only Alex was the studious one, probably hailing from whom she was named after, Alexander.

Stephanie turned to her own daughter and reached over to pinch her cheek, earning a loud squawk from Heidi. Heidi turned to Stephanie and said, "Mommy! We're at the boss level! I'm supposed to be a medic, I can't heal with you pinching my cheeks!"

"I'm sorry but you look so adorable when you're concentrating," Stephanie said, earning a pout from Heidi, "I can't believe you're going to go away to Asia for three weeks!"

"I can hardly be too excited, Mommy, seeing as I've been there 6 times with Grandpa Manns," Heidi said with a smile, turning to look at Stephanie, "But I am excited because it's only Papi and I who are going."

Heidi had grown up from a sweet little girl to a lovely young woman. Everyone who knew Heidi's mother always commented about how Heidi looked exactly like her, though she was shorter than her mother. She and Diesel had graduated from high school together at an extremely young age, but, while Diesel went to MIT, Heidi went to Princeton for linguistics, learning several languages that she could get her hands on. She got a cushy job at Princeton, as a liaison for their international sister schools and she lectured the obscure language classes. One of the most recent classes she had taught had been a Bahasa Indonesia language course.

"Okay, we made it to a checkpoint, we can go eat now," Marla said, turning of the game, "What's to grub on, Auntie Stephanie, we're starving!"

"We're having pasta, you five can eat me out of house and home," Stephanie said as the group got up and ran out Heidi's bedroom, "Please, save some for me!"

Stephanie was climbing down the stairs when she heard Heidi exclaim, "Diesel! You're here, I thought you were going to be late working on that technology junk."

Stephanie couldn't help but coo with Brittany and Lula as her daughter wrapped her arms around Diesel's neck and kiss him. Those two truly were in love, they only had eyes for one another,they graduated from the international school together, both of them first in their class, both of them graduated with college degrees and both of them leading good careers. The one thing that everyone around the couple were waiting for was for the duo to get married, their was a pool going around when Diesel would pop the question, Stephanie had them when they were 20.

"I uh, wanted to come see you, Kitten," Diesel said, letting go of Heidi, "And uh…um…I have a question for you…"

The room got quiet as Diesel grabbed Heidi's hands and sit her down. Heidi giggled and said, "Diesel what are you-"

"I love you very much, Heidi, I've loved you since as long as long as I can remember," Diesel said, crouching down in front of his girlfriend, "And we've had our ups and downs, and a lot of bums along the way, but, we're still in love with one another. Heidi, you made me the happiest man alive and…I want us to be together forever, I've been waiting 14 long years to do this…"

Everyone in the room went silent as Diesel took out a small, black velvet box and held it out. Heidi's eyes got big as Diesel opened the box to reveal a platinum, slim ring that had a large amber diamond sitting in the middle of it, with white diamonds surrounding it. Heidi covered her mouth and looked at Diesel's face. Diesel smiled and said, "Heidi Annamarie Manoso the second, will you marry me?"

Heidi let out a sob, tears leaking from her eyes. She uncovered her mouth and then she said, "Yes, Diesel, a million trillion times yes! I'll marry you, Thaddeus!"

"YES! I WON THE POOL!" Brittany boomed jumping up and doing a little dance, "Woot woot! I won that 600 dollars!"

"You make that in 30 seconds," Lula said as Brittany danced.

"Oh my goodness," Stephanie said, going over to Heidi and hugging her and Diesel, "Congratulations, you two! oh my goodness, you two are going to have a big wedding, I'm sure Papi and Grandpa Manns are going to see to it!"

Diesel smiled and stuck his tongue out saying, "Well, I'm sure they will, Auntie Stephanie, and I'm pretty sure Deda and Mama will help too."

Heidi smiled, looking down at the ring she had on her hand, she frowned and said, "This ring, it looks familiar…."

"Uh….I talked to Grandpa Manns a while back, I was going to buy your ring but…it didn't feel right, he rings I found, so, you know that time I went off on a business trip?"

"Yeah…." Heidi said, looking up at Diesel, who smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist, "I remember."

"Well, I went to England to see Grandpa Manns, and asked if he had a ring I could possibly give to you and he did your mother's wedding ring," Diesel said, making Heidi look up at him, her face etched with shocked, "He said that he wanted to give it to you as a birthday present, but it would be better used as your engagement ring, so, he gave it to me."

"This is so cute," Stephanie said, with a smile, looking at Heidi and Diesel, "Oh my goodness, you two are so cute!"

"Oh Diesel," Heidi said, softly, looking up at Diesel, "I love it, I love it so much, I thought that Grandpa Manns placed it in the crypt with my Mommy, but, I guess he didn't. It's wonderful, I can't wait for us to tell Papi about this!"

"Bella, you don't need to, I heard it all," Carlos said, making Heidi and Diesel turn to look at the man, "It's too bad I missed the speech…"

"Oh Papi!" Heidi said, running up to the man and hugging him tightly, "Papi, I can't believe it, did you buy her this ring?"

"I did, she always did love amber colored gems," Carlos said, kissing his child's cheek, "Bella, I'm so happy for you."

Heidi hugged Carlos and then ran over to Stephanie saying, "Mommy…I, thank you for being here for Papi and I, you're the best mother I've ever had."

Stephanie smiled and hugged Heidi saying, "It was my pleasure raising you and being here with you and your Papi…"

Stephanie looked around at the group of people and said, "Well, I guess we can put the pasta away and go out for lunch, to celebrate an engagement!"

Everyone came up and congratulated Heidi and Diesel before Brittany said, "It's my treat, I won 600 dollars! "

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"You're so beautiful," Arthur Manns said, hugging his grandchild tightly before looking her up and down, "Oh, princess, I'm so happy for you, sweetheart, that Thaddeus fellow, he's a good man for you, let me look at you…"

Heidi giggled and spun around, she was wearing her mother's wedding dress, that had been modified and tailored for her. it was a simple form fitting white gown that was floor length and had a long white train. Heidi hugged her grandfather again and said, "I'm glad you like Thaddeus, and thank you for paying for my honeymoon, I'm going to have a blast with Diesel in Tahiti…"

"I'm sure you are, but you know, you have to return home to learn some of the business," Arthur said, earning a sigh from Heidi, "It's almost time for me to retire."

"Oh, Grandpa," Heidi sighed as the door opened and Stephanie, Brittany and Jeanne came in, "Ladies!"

"Grandpa Manns needs to head out to where the guests are, it's almost time," Jeanne said, pushing Arthur out of the dressing room, "Oh, you are so beautiful, Heidi, you look just like your mother…."

"This is really happening, Diesel's going to finally marry his girl," Brittany said, dabbing her eyes and blowing her nose, "Oh! This is too much for me! I gotta go wash my face!"

"You can do that after we give her the four important things a bride should have," Stephanie said, turning to Heidi and smiling at her, "Heidi, You need to have something borrowed…"

Stephanie took off the necklace Carlos had given her on their fifth anniversary and placed it around her daughter's neck. Heidi smiled and said, "It's perfect mommy…."

"And you need something new," Brittany said, pulling out a jewelry case and revealing a diamond tennis bracelet, "From Lester, Alexander and I…."

"Oh," Heidi said, letting Brittany put it on her wrist, "It's perfect, Auntie Brittany, thank you"

"You need something old," Jeanne said, pulling out a lumpy item wrapped in a soft cream colored baby blanket, "I thought, instead of a bouquet of flowers, I thought this would be more fitting."

Heidi took the bundle and unwrapped it to reveal Harriet the Ferret. Heidi looked over to Jeanne and smiled, tears in her eyes, "Oh…Auntie Jeanne….oh my god…I…oh god….this is wonderful!"

Heidi hugged the three women tightly and said, "Wait, Mommy, you said you needed to give me four things, I only got two."

"You need something blue," Carlos said, walking into the dressing room, holding a dried blue cornflower, "I think, this will do…."

"Papi," Heidi said, running up to her father and hugging him, "It's the flower you got from Grandpa Manns' Garden, but…it's your sign from Mommy…"

"I know, but, she should be with you, right?" Carlos said, with a smile, tucking the flower in the tiara Heidi wore, "Bella, you are a beautiful sight, I'm proud to be the one to walk you down the aisle to your new life."

"Moving out and moving to England too," Stephanie said with a soft sob, "I'm going to miss you so much!"

"Mommy, I'll be back every other weekend," Heidi said, as Stephanie hugged her tightly, "Oh…Mommy…"

"Come on, Stephanie," Brittany said, grabbing Jeanne and Stephanie, "Come on, we'll see her at the end of the aisle…."

Stephanie gave Heidi a kiss on her cheek and said, "Mommy loves you very much, we both do," before she was led out the room by the other two women.

Carlos chuckled and said, "Well, Bella, are you ready?"

Heidi nodded her head and said, "Yes, Papi, I've never been ready," hooking her arm through her father's arm, "It's time for you to lead me down the aisle."

Carlos smiled and led his daughter out the dressing room of the wedding hall that they rented in a whimsical woodsy part of New York State. He led her in front of the closed double doors, where behind the set of doors the wedding guests and party waited for them, no they were waiting for Heidi. Carlos heard the wedding march begin and then the double doors were opened to reveal everyone standing and waiting for the father and daughter to walk.

"Papi…all those years ago, when I was a child, I wished for a Mommy for the both of us, and though we got Miss. Stephanie, I…know, my real mommy, your first wife, she was never far from us, she was always watching over us, it doesn't matter if she's not here physically, I can feel her in my heart, and that's all we need…"Heidi said to Carlos, before they began their trek down the aisle, "Right Papi?"

"Right," Carlos said with a smile, before leading Heidi down the aisle, "She's always here with us…."

END….

* * *

And that's that...now go out and enjoy your summer, I may put up something else before I head off to Asia! Reviews are loved!


End file.
